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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23756584">Spider-Man: Adaptive Traits</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62'>Spideyfan62</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:59:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23756584</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All was calm and quiet, then next thing he knew, he had ceased to exist then returned all in the blink of an eye, fought in the great battle of earth, and watched his mentor die. He kept reminding himself that the odds of something like that happening again were very very poor, but he still couldn't shake the feeling. </p><p> </p><p>A sequel to Spider-Man: Endangered Species</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761355</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. All Is Calm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter was finishing up his work for the day in the lab when Dr. Connors approached him. "Peter, before you finish for the day, would you mind checking fish tank one more time? I want to make sure that the new purifier we installed is working properly." </p><p>"Sure thing, Doctor." Peter had been happy that the Doc had let him come back to work at the lab. The first couple of weeks he was there, the doc seemed very nervous around him, almost as if the man felt unworthy to be in the presence of the one who saved his life. He repeatedly reassured him that it was fine, and that he didn't judge him for his mistake. This seemed to encourage Connors and he was finally starting to come back to being his normal self. </p><p>"Everything with the purifier seems fine, Doc" Peter reported. </p><p>"Excellent. Thank you Peter," the doc replied. "I can't say how much of a help you have been since...since..." </p><p>"Doc, I told you, don't worry about it" Peter said, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his right shoulder. </p><p>"I know, Peter, I know" Connors said with a very light, somber smile. </p><p>Peter thought for a minute, then spoke up: "Doc, you mind if I say something?"</p><p>Connors looked at Peter with a puzzled glance. "Sure?" he replied, his response coming out as more of a question than an answer. </p><p>"When I started out as Spider-Man, I felt like I did nothing but make mistakes. Even after Mr. Stark gave me my first real suit, I still went around messing things up all. The biggest incident finally came when I disobeyed him and went to stop the Vulture at a ferry. He was going to sell some weapons there, and I JUST KNEW I was going to catch him! Unfortunately, I did not fully understand what I was dealing with, and one of the weapons malfunctioned and tore the ship in half. I did my best, but if Mr. Stark hadn't been there....a lot of people would have died." </p><p>"I'm not sure what your point is, Peter." </p><p>"Well, after the whole incident, Mr. Stark had told me that he wanted me to be better than him. Looking back on that now, I don't think he just meant as Spider-Man, but also as a man in general. He wanted me to learn from my mistakes and improve upon them. That's how I feel like you should look at this Doc."</p><p>"I know Peter. It's just not that easy" the doc replied. </p><p>"As someone who shoulders responsibility for, well, everything, I understand" Peter replied. "I know it will take time. I just want you to know that I am here for you doc." </p><p>Connors walked up to Peter and put his left hand on Peter's shoulder, smiling at him. "Thank you Peter." </p><p>"No problem. Well, I better get going. I need to go on patrol." </p><p>"Go be a hero" the doc said proudly. </p><p> </p><p>Peter swung around the city for an hour and a half, but there was nothing. The city was quiet, maybe too quiet. He appreciated that not much was going on, because it meant people were safe and there wasn't much crime. However, he also couldn't help but have an antsy feeling, because it reminded him of the way things were before everything that happened with Thanos and the Infinity Stones. All was calm and quiet, then next thing he knew, he had ceased to exist then returned all in the blink of an eye, fought in the great battle of earth, and watched his mentor die. He kept reminding himself that the odds of something like that happening again were very very poor, but he still couldn't shake the feeling. </p><p>Finally, he heard a report over the police radio in his mask that an active drug deal had been called in. He fired a web line and immediately took off in that direction. He arrived at the location in a matter of minutes, perching himself on the roof of a building to assess the situation. There were about 10 guys involved; it looked like both the buyer and the seller had brought some reinforcements in case things went sour. Peter webbed the car containing the drugs in it's trunk in place first, so they couldn't make an escape. </p><p>"Hey guys," he called out to them, "I'm all for a little entrepreneurship, but you seriously need to rethink your line of product." Just as they were turning to him, he jumped down, and they ambushed him head on. Some had guns, others had crowbars, and some had the audacity to come at him with nothing but their fists. One by one, Peter dispatched them with a series of punches, kicks and web shots. Finally, there was just one more guy, whose gun was still at his hip, but whose hand was ready to draw it at any point. </p><p>"I see you're fast. So am I. Let's see which one is faster." The man was challenging him. </p><p>"Wow, anyone getting any John Wayne vibes right now?" Peter said, looking around at his knocked out or webbed up audience. "Whatever; I'll play along." He held his arm straight down to match the man's stance. "Your call," Peter offered. </p><p>"Draw!" the man shouted. He hadn't even fully raised his arm when a web knocked the gun safely out of his hands, and another set of them followed. He was completely encased in webbing in a matter of seconds. </p><p>"Look man," Peter started from under the mask, "I don't know what kind of home life you had, but playing with guns really isn't wise. You're lucky I knew I could disarm you without hurting you. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to think about it in jail." With that, Peter swung away. </p><p> </p><p>"Sir," a man said, walking into an office.</p><p>"Let me guess, Spider-Man again?" came the response from a short but stocky man with a strangely shaped head. </p><p>"Yes sir," the man who had entered said. </p><p>The man whose office this belonged to thought for a second before replying: "Contact our associate at Oscorp. I have a deal I want to discuss with Norman Osborn.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Competing For Valedictorian</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"You guys ready for that insane chemistry test today?" </p><p>"Betty," Ned said, "it's Peter and M.J. If any two people are ever ready for a test, it's the two that are practically competing for valedictorian."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter walked onto Midtown Tech's property with plenty of time to spare before school started. All had been quiet on his early morning patrol, so he went in earlier than usual. M.J. was the first to greet him. </p><p>"Sup, dork?" she greeted in her usual way, though her smile was showing harder than normal. </p><p>"Not much. If I'm not being too bold, you seem a little more chipper than normal today. What happened, find an exciting new murder mystery last night?" Peter said in a half-joking tone.</p><p>"No," she said in a somewhat defensively, "well, that too, but I also have something I wanted to ask you." Her smile was getting bigger with every word.</p><p>"This will be good" Peter said, his curiosity growing. Unfortunately, she was unable to get it out before they came upon Ned and Betty.</p><p>"Hey guys!" Betty said enthusiastically, her and Ned coming right up on Peter and M.J. "You guys ready for that insane chemistry test today?" </p><p>"Betty," Ned said, "it's Peter and M.J. If any two people are ever ready for a test, it's the two that are practically competing for valedictorian." </p><p>Peter thought that was quite true; he and M.J. had actually spent the last couple evenings in particular doing lightning rounds to see who could do the equations the fastest. He and M.J. were almost neck and neck for the honor of valedictorian. He had a comfortable lead over her in a couple of their more advanced science classes, but she was doing better than him in other areas, so he would need to finish strong in them over this semester and the next in order to secure it. </p><p>"Yes, Betty," M.J. spoke up, "I do believe that I am ready to make Peter cry when I do better than him." She looked over to Peter, her chin held high and proud. </p><p>"We'll see about that M.J." he challenged. He was not backing down. </p><p>"Yes we will," she said, turning her attention back to the other couple in front of them. "Betty, I notice you're carrying around your camera more," she observed. </p><p>"Well, when you want to be a reporter, you always need to be ready to get a picture. You never knew when a good story is going to walk by."</p><p>"The best story that you could write would be about the school news firing Jason Ionello," M.J. stated bluntly. "He does you no favors as your newscast partner." </p><p>"Jason's...trying," Betty said, but she didn't sound particularly convincing. </p><p>"Yes, trying to bring you down with him," M.J. continued. </p><p>"You shouldn't be so mean to him," Betty said, trying to defend him. </p><p>"The man needs to find something he's more qualified to do then." </p><p>Peter just stood there, looking down to hide his smile while shaking his head. Hearing his girlfriend call people out like this, even if she took it too far sometimes, was never going to get old.</p><p>The 4 of them walked into the main building together, talking about this and that. Peter noticed Flash walk past them, but he didn't say anything; he just glanced at them and kept going, like he couldn't be bothered by them. </p><p>"I think Flash has softened up," Ned observed. "He hasn't picked on us much this year, particularly you Peter." </p><p>"I think he's just scared of M.J." Peter stated.</p><p>"As he should be," M.J. added with a certainty to her voice. </p><p>They came on some of the boys basketball team and Betty raised her camera to take a picture of them. </p><p>"What's so interesting about that?" M.J. questioned. </p><p>"The school newscast said they NEED more photos of the team," Betty said, her sarcastic tone showing her obvious disagreement with this sentiment. "Especially Brad, since he's the team's star this year." </p><p>Brad Davis; now there was a name Peter didn't enjoy hearing. While it was true that Flash had, for the most part, backed off from messing with him, Brad had stepped in to fill that role very willingly this year. He still was jealous of Peter for being the one between the two of them to end up with M.J. and he just would not let it go. It was pretty much all verbal stuff though, which Peter had plenty of experience dealing with, so it was just in one ear and out the other for the most part. Still, Flash had never had any particular personal reason for his teasing Peter, but Brad's much more petty personal vendetta was beginning to wear thin. </p><p>Betty snapped her picture of the team and they continued on, almost ready to separate towards their respective lockers, when Peter's spider-sense went off. Instinctively, he reached out and caught the basketball that had been thrown at the back of Betty's head. He immediately tried to act surprised, as if it was an accident. It wasn't Brad who threw it, otherwise it might have been aimed at his head. </p><p>"I think you hit a nerve," M.J. chimed in as they all looked back at the players. </p><p>"Yea. Thanks Peter," Betty said, glancing at him thankfully. The other three turned towards their lockers, and Peter followed suit, but not before passing the ball back at the one who threw it hard enough that it pushed him into his locker when he caught it. He tried to avoid showing off even minor feats of his strength like this one, but he was not about to let someone try a stunt like that on one of his friends again if he could help it. He swore he could see Brad glance at him just as he turned away. </p><p>The first half of the day's classes went by quickly, and the four of them met up again during the lunch hour. Betty had assimilated into their group quite well since her and Ned resumed their relationship about a month ago. Her and M.J. actually got along surprisingly well, probably because it was easy to bond over dating two complete and total dorks, Peter figured. They got their lunches and sat in their usual place. </p><p>"How did you guys feel about the chemistry test?" Betty inquired. </p><p>"Good," Ned answered. </p><p>"Oh, I'm sure I nailed it," M.J. said with her deadpan voice dripping of confidence. </p><p>"What she said, just a little more," Peter said, looking at M.J. He gave her a quick wink and she just shook her head.</p><p>"I'm glad you guys feel confident," Betty said, "that was the hardest test of the year for me!" </p><p>"Oh I'm sure you did great, sweetheart!" Ned exclaimed. </p><p>"Thanks babe," Betty said, looking endearingly at Ned, "I hope you're right."</p><p>While he was happy for his friend, Peter still felt a little strange around Ned and Betty when they used sweet names like that around each other. It made him all the more grateful that M.J. hated that kind of thing and had strictly forbid Peter from ever using such terminology. </p><p>"So what do you guys have planned for this Friday night?" Betty asked Peter and M.J. </p><p>"Oh, we're just going to hang out, do puzzles, etc." M.J. said. Peter nodded in agreement with her. </p><p>"Betty and I are going to Central Park tonight, just thought maybe you guys would want to come along?" Ned invited. </p><p>"Oh no, we have a particular puzzle we want to get to. It's going to take forever, even for puzzle masters like us, right Peter?" M.J. said, giving Peter a look that practically begged him to agree with her. </p><p>"Yea, yea absolutely. Thanks anyway guys" he added, and left it at that. He had absolutely zero idea what she was talking about, but if he knew his girlfriend, he had a feeling he would find out soon enough. </p><p>They finished their lunches and went to their classes for the rest of the day. Finally, once the school day was over, Peter met up with M.J. Dr. Connors had insisted on giving Peter Friday nights off indefinitely. The man himself was taking them off anyway now to spend more time with his wife and son in the wake of the Lizard ordeal, so this made sense. Peter didn't mind; Connors worked him good the rest of the week and he enjoyed having the time to unwind. While Saturday was usually his and Ned's day, his time on Friday nights was exclusively for his girlfriend. </p><p>"Oh yea, what were you going to ask me earlier today before we got distracted?" Peter asked, suddenly remembering her enthusiasm from earlier in the day.</p><p>"Well, my mom was FINALLY given a night off from Oscorp, so she's going to be home, and she said that she wanted to meet you!" </p><p>"What? That's awesome!" Peter exclaimed. Ever since his and M.J.'s conversation about her mom working herself to death, he had encouraged her to try reaching out on her own time, and this was finally a sign of it doing some good. </p><p>"Yep!" M.J. exclaimed. "Sorry about that at lunch, but I..." she trailed off.</p><p>"You didn't want to bring it up in front of Ned and Betty. It's okay," Peter reassured her. "What time should we be there?" </p><p>"Around 5:30 should be good; she actually volunteered to make dinner, so she wanted time to get ready." </p><p>"Makes sense." </p><p>They spent the next couple of hours killing time around the city, walking around and talking about anything and everything. These were some of Peter's favorite times with M.J: just the two of them spending time together, discussing nothing in particular, but just sharing in life together. He was so grateful that they were both very simple people when it came to what they did together, because he was not specifically planning on making a fortune somewhere. </p><p>When they noticed it was about 5:15, they decided to head to M.J.'s apartment. They made their way to it, and M.J. took out her key when they got to the door. She opened it, and her and Peter walked in. </p><p>"Mom, we're here!" M.J. called out. </p><p>"In the kitchen, honey!" her mom answered back. Peter followed M.J. toward the kitchen, but when they got there, they found they were not the only guests tonight it seemed. </p><p>They were met by the fierce, calculating eyes of Norman Osborn.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I enjoyed getting back to writing about a day in the life of Peter while at school. Hope you guys like it! </p><p>Stay safe out there. My thoughts and prayers for you all. </p><p>Galatians 4:2</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Meeting Norman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"You must be Michelle," Norman said, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Your mother was just talking about you." </p><p>"Th..thanks," M.J. managed to get out. Peter was surprised by her response. She seemed almost...rattled? NOTHING rattled M.J. This only made the feeling in his spine intensify, but he forced it back as the man came to greet him next.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter just stood there, as if unable to process what he was seeing. The man heading the only company in the world that could compete with Stark Industries was standing in front of him. This was different from meeting Tony though; when they met, he had been meeting one of his idols, and Tony had given off a strong yet friendly aura. In this instance, the one he was meeting practically sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't put a finger on why that was; maybe it was the man's fierce, overwhelming expression, or maybe it was some of the rumors he heard about the man's malicious business practices. However, his Aunt May taught him never to judge a book by it's cover, so he maintained a smile on his face as the man came over to him and M.J, extending his hand to her first. </p><p>"You must be Michelle," Norman said, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Your mother was just talking about you." </p><p>"Th..thanks," M.J. managed to get out. Peter was surprised by her response. She seemed almost...rattled? NOTHING rattled M.J. This only made the feeling in his spine intensify, but he forced it back as the man came to greet him next. </p><p>"And you must be the boyfriend she was going to meet," Norman said, extending his hand for Peter to take. </p><p>"Peter Parker sir," he replied, returning the man's handshake. </p><p>"Parker? Oh yes, aren't you the one who works with Dr. Curtis Connors over at ESU?"</p><p>This caught Peter off guard; how did he just KNOW that? "Yes sir," he responded, trying to not seem like he was a little nervous.</p><p>"That's quite an opportunity you have their young man. I always keep an eye out for promising scientific talent, and one who can earn an internship with a man as prestigious in that community as Connors must have tremendous potential. Who knows, maybe I'll even hire you on at Oscorp some day." </p><p>"I'm just taking it one day at a time sir, trying to do the best I can." Peter didn't really care for much attention being brought on him, but Norman wouldn't let it go. </p><p>"Now now Peter, you shouldn't hold back when it comes to who you are," he said, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder. This was just getting stranger by the minute. "I wish my son Harry would take the initiative in life that you have and seize the opportunities before him. Maybe I can arrange for you two to meet? He's finishing up boarding school overseas, but he'll be back next year. I think it would be good for him to meet someone his age who has some ambition."</p><p>Now Peter was getting a little frustrated. Sure, he didn't know Harry, but he found it disconcerting that Norman would so openly compare someone he just met to his own son and think better of the former. "I appreciate the offer sir, but I'm not about measuring myself to anyone." Peter was now finding himself more bold in his speech. Unfortunately, it only seemed to egg Norman on. </p><p>"Life is about comparison," Norman retaliated, though still in a very composed tone. "Being the best requires comparison." </p><p>"I believe in being the best you can be," Peter said in response, "and always keeping pushing for better, but never just to be better than someone." Peter practically found himself matching Norman's glare, but he couldn't help it. In this brief conversation, he had gone from shivers in his spine to the toughest his backbone had ever been in the matter of maybe a minute. Something about Norman put him on the defensive one way or another. </p><p>"Most of what you say is true, young man." This response surprised Peter. "However, if we do not measure up to others, how do we know that we are doing our best?" </p><p>Peter was about to say something in response, but M.J.'s mom jumped in. "Alright, before you two continue with your never ending debate, at least have some food first. Mr. Osborn, would you like to stay for dinner?" Peter glanced over at M.J. and he could see the frustration growing on her face. To most people, she did a really good job of hiding her emotions, but he had learned to notice even the smallest indicators, like her lip moving ever so slightly up/down or her eyes shifting just a little. She was clearly not happy with how this was going. </p><p>"Thank you, Alexandra" Norman said, turning to M.J.'s mom, "but I'm afraid I have to be going. I have a meeting at Oscorp that cannot be put off." He turned back to Peter. "It was a pleasure to meet you, son" he said, extending his hand for Peter to shake again, which he did. "I must apologize if I came on strong, but I like to push the minds of young men like yourself. I believe you have the potential to go very far in this world." </p><p>"Thank you, sir" Peter said politely in response. Norman then shook M.J.'s hand again as well and was out the door. </p><p>"I'm so sorry about that," M.J.'s mom said, "he needed to stop by to get some work I had taken home. He said he was near the area so he elected to stop by and get it in person. Now, who's hungry?" she asked, setting some plates out for the two of them to get. She had made Italian for dinner, which sounded great to Peter. As he took in the smell of the food he put on his plate, he couldn't help but think that, if anything could get this night back on track, it would be dinner. However, Peter noticed that M.J.'s mom appeared to be taking her plate somewhere else. This did not go unnoticed by M.J; then again, Peter should not have expected anything less from the only one in school who had figured out his secret on their own. </p><p>"Mom, aren't you going to eat with us?" </p><p>"I'm sorry honey, but Norman asked me to look over some things for him that need to be ready by tomorrow morning" M.J.'s mom said. </p><p>"But...I thought it was going to be all of us tonight." Peter could hear M.J.'s voice start to break a little. </p><p>"I know, but you know how my job is, dear" said her mom. "It demands a lot of me." </p><p>"Mom, I specifically organized this so that..."</p><p>"Michelle, I won't hear anything else about it." M.J.'s mom's tone had shifted to more stern, and M.J. backed off. Peter couldn't help but feel a tinge of embarrassment at having to witness this, but mostly he felt sorry for M.J. He had pushed her to try and make an effort with her mom to try and spend more time with her, but now he had a better idea what she was up against, and he could see why she had been so frustrated with her. </p><p>After M.J.'s mom went upstairs to attend to her work, Peter and M.J. elected to eat on the bar instead of the table since it was just the two of them. They ate mostly in silence, just trying to find some comfort in the delicious food that had been made. At least something good came out of this night. Still, Peter couldn't shake everything he was feeling: the fact that he got into an ideological debate with Norman Osborn, who just so happened to be his girlfriend's mom's employer, who gave her work to do tonight while knowing she had her family here...he had to stop himself. He could already tell that M.J. was upset, and him being upset too was only going to make things worse. </p><p>Once they finished their meals, Peter spoke up for the first time: "So, what do you want to do?" He got no response from his girlfriend, who was just staring down at the bar. Peter gently put his hand on her shoulder, unsure of whether it was the right move, but just wanting to do something. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it for a second before turning to face him. He could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes, but she forced them back. She was too strong for her own good sometimes, he thought. </p><p>"I'm sorry about all this, Peter," she started. "Nothing about tonight went how I wanted. Everything was so well planned out, but I should've known something like this would happen. It always does." </p><p>"Don't worry about me," Peter said, trying to reassure her. "Tell you what, let's watch that Black Dahlia murder documentary again." </p><p>M.J. smirked. "Aren't you tired of that yet?" she asked, a smile finally beginning to make its way back on her face. "We've watched it like a thousand times just in the last few months." </p><p>"Naaa," Peter said, waving his hand forward to further his point. "Who knows, maybe this time we'll be able to put together all the facts and solve the mystery in retrospect for ourselves." The two of them, well, mostly M.J, had come up with many theories on the murderer's true identity based on everything the documentary had said.</p><p>"Okay," M.J. finally conceded, and they got out the DVD they needed and put it in. They were still really full from their big meal, so they did not bother with snacks for the time being. They sat on the couch as it began to play, and, to his surprise, M.J. put one arm around his back and the other one against his chest. Usually when they would watch, well, anything, she didn't tend to be much for cuddling, mostly because it was still fairly early in their relationship, he presumed. Tonight, however, she seemed to clasp him as if she needed something to hang on to her own reality with, so he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, occasionally stroking her left shoulder with is hand. They stayed like that for the whole documentary, sitting in a peaceful silence, soaking in each other's presence.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had a whole other section planned for this chapter in addition to this, but I felt it would fit best in the next chapter. Hoped you like how it ended up! </p><p>My prayers for you all; continue to stay safe and healthy! </p><p>Matthew 5:3-10</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Trouble With Betty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Betty wait, what are you talking abo..." M.J. didn't get her question out before Betty had hung up. She considered calling her back, but she figured a little Friday night adventure in an old and creepy warehouse couldn't hurt. It got her out of the apartment anyway, which could only be a good thing in her mind. She grabbed her jacket, phone and keys to the apartment and headed out the door.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Mr. Osborn, you have a visitor," his butler announced. </p><p>"May I ask who?" he replied. </p><p>"He just says he's expected." </p><p>"Ah, yes, send him in" Norman replied. </p><p>The butler went and retrieved the guest, a shorter but stocky man with a strangely shaped head. Norman observed that he wore an older but still well conditioned suit and tie, and his eyes appeared to convey a hardness of the world. He appreciated men like this in a way, because they could see the world for what it truly was. Very unlike the young man he had met earlier this evening. </p><p>"Please, Joseph, come in," Mr. Osborn said, trying to appear as polite as he could for a change. "Would you like a drink?" </p><p>"No thanks," the man replied, his expression refusing to change. "I will only being staying long enough to discuss our business." </p><p>"Straight to the point; I admire that in a businessman" Norman said. "Well, then, let's get down to it." He gestured for the man to have a seat in front of the desk in his study, which the man did. Norman then walked around and took his place in the front. </p><p>"So, let's see if I remember your proposal correctly," Norman began. "Your construction business is in need of funds in order to keep going. You are asking me to provide one hundred thousand dollars for you, is that correct?"</p><p>"It is" Joseph replied. </p><p>"Now, you said you would discuss what I would get in return when we met in person." Norman leaned forward, put his hands together and looked his potential client straight in the eyes. "Tell me sir, what is it that you intend to offer?" </p><p>"I've heard rumors from...trusted sources," Joseph began "that you are in need of, well, let's call them 'volunteers' for some experiments of yours." For the first time, the man began to smile, if ever so slightly. "I have a surprisingly high turnover rate in my company. Those employees that I no longer deem useful, perhaps I could refer them to you. They could end up being just the ones you are looking for." </p><p>"I see." Norman said, leaning back in his chair but still not taking his eyes off the man sitting across from him. "Is there anything else I should know?" </p><p>"Well, let's say your experiments are successful at some point," Joseph began. "I need these people to be...taken care of properly, if you know what I mean." </p><p>"I'm not sure I do; please elaborate" Norman said with just a twinge of sarcasm in his voice. "I do not care much for business proposals with a lack of clarity." </p><p>"You want clarity," Joseph began, rising up out of his seat. He seemed as if he was trying to intimidate Norman. "Very well then. Should your experiments prove successful, I still will require you to kill them afterwards. I can't have any loose ends." </p><p>"Ah, yes, you need me to make sure these people die" Osborn said, rising from his seat as if to reassert his advantage. "Some would call that murder you know." </p><p>"Call it whatever you please," said Joseph, the smile lost from his face again. "I just need them gone. Can't have them giving away trade secrets." </p><p>"Keeping your organization close to the chest, I see" said Norman. "I respect that. How many men do you believe you can provide for me?" </p><p>"I already have a few that I can send your way, and every few weeks or so, some tend to show themselves incompetent, so I am confident more will come soon." </p><p>"Very well." Norman found the terms satisfactory enough for now, but made a point to discuss the specifics at the appropriate time. He saw his guest to the door, they shook hands, and the man started to exit, but then walked back to Norman.</p><p>"I trust that our business will be confidential," Joseph said, moving the right side of his jacket over to reveal a gun on his hip. </p><p>Norman didn't even look at the gun, keeping his eyes focused on Joseph, unfazed. </p><p>"Like you said, trade secrets." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>M.J. was sitting at her desk, trying to enjoy her Joan of Arc biography. It had been an hour since Peter left and her mom had not come back down during that time, so she opted to do some light reading before bed. She was only a few pages into her reading when her phone rang. She was surprised to see Betty Brant as the caller; the girl was not known for being out this late, even on a Friday. She picked her phone up and hit answer. </p><p>"Hello?" </p><p>"M.J! Come down to the old warehouse on 42nd and first! You don't want to miss this!" </p><p>"Betty wait, what are you talking abo..." M.J. didn't get her question out before Betty had hung up. She considered calling her back, but she figured a little Friday night adventure in an old and creepy warehouse couldn't hurt. It got her out of the apartment anyway, which could only be a good thing in her mind. She grabbed her jacket, phone and keys to the apartment and headed out the door. </p><p>When she arrived, Betty was standing there outside, and motioned enthusiastically for her to come over. Betty started to go inside, but M.J. grabbed her arm. "Betty, what's going on?" she asked. She was curious, but also cautious. </p><p>"Okay, so I was hungry and was on my way to get a midnight snack, when I saw some shady looking guys go in here, and I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it seemed very hush hush. They left a little bit ago; I heard them say they were going to meet back here at 12:30, so we don't have much time. If we hurry, we can figure out if there is something illegal and call the police." </p><p>"Are you crazy!?" M.J. said in a shouting whisper. Why was Betty so excited to bust some illegal activity all of a sudden?</p><p>"Come on, we have to get to the bottom of this!" Betty said, matching M.J.'s shouting whisper. She went ahead in. </p><p>M.J. didn't know what to do. She was usually all for a good mystery, but not one that could be life threatening. There was always a chance that Betty was wrong and those guys weren't doing anything illegal, but there was still a likelihood that they would get in trouble. Bottom line was, she didn't like the situation at all. However, she also couldn't leave Betty in there alone, so she went inside after her. </p><p>"M.J, look over by those shelves. One of the guys grabbed something from over there; maybe we can find some clues as to what it was." </p><p>"Betty, this is a bad idea; potentially suicide! We need to go" M.J. said in a stern but still hushed voice. Who knew if someone was still in here or not. </p><p>"Come on; we might be busting up a major criminal operation!" Betty exclaimed, undeterred. M.J. decided to play along for now, and went over to the area her friend referred to. She rummaged around a little, but there were just nothing but empty shelves and storage containers. She came back and tried again to persuade Betty to quit, but she just wouldn't give up. They kept looking around, but found no sign of anything illegal. "If there was anything here, they must have taken it with them" M.J. concluded to Betty.</p><p>"I guess you're right" Betty said, dejected. M.J. couldn't figure out why this was so important to her. She looked like a kid who was disappointed they didn't get what they wanted for Christmas. She elected to file that away for now, but they started to hear voices coming from the direction of the main entrance. </p><p>"Uh oh" was all Betty could say. M.J. wanted to respond with "you think?" but she elected to refrain for now. There were no closets or other small rooms of the like in the room they were in, and the only way out was the way they came in. She motioned to some tall debris that was prominent in the broken down building they were in, and Betty ran behind her as they hid. As their luck would have it, 5 men came in the room they were in. They began talking about their "business" and M.J. noticed them bring out some cases. One of the men opened up a case to show off his product: a military grade gun. She was no expert in guns, but she could tell that it wasn't the kind you just bought somewhere, so that was her best guess. She glanced over at Betty, who was a mix of terrified and enthralled. What was going through that girl's mind? Again, later. She turned so that she was facing away from Betty and took out her phone. She pulled up Peter's contact and typed a message. </p><p>"911 at the old warehouse off 42nd and 1st. Guys selling guns. Explain later. Hurry." </p><p>A few minutes that seem like hours pass; the guys take care of their transaction and leave the room. M.J. motions for Betty to stay there, and moves quickly but quietly to peak out into the next room. She wanted to make sure they were gone, but she wasn't going to just sit around and wait only for them to come back either. When she saw nothing, she motioned for Betty to come join her. With any luck, they would make their way to the front after the guys had already left and nothing would come of it. However, they heard a man coming back toward them as they had moved a few rooms ahead, and barely managed to find cover behind an old desk on the far side of the room. The men walked past them as if they weren't there. They were ready to move again, except when they turned to leave, Betty accidentally bumped the desk, making just enough noise where they heard one of the men call for another one to check it out. </p><p>M.J. looked around, then grabbed the only thing that looked like it could be used as a weapon: an old piece of metal piping that had fallen from the ceiling, she grabbed it and tucked herself back behind the desk in time for the man to walk in the room. Unfortunately, it did not take him long to find them. </p><p>"Well well, what have we here?" the man said. He was only moderately tall but still well built and he wreaked of cigarette smoke. He had a gun at his hip, but he didn't even bother to take it out. "Hey guys, come check this out" he yelled, turning his head in the direction of the others, and M.J. saw her opportunity. </p><p>Whack! </p><p>With no hesitation, she took the pipe in both her hands and swung as hard as she could, knocking the man out. </p><p>"That was awesome!" Betty said in as contained a voice as she could. </p><p>"It won't be enough against the others," M.J. responded. They could hear the other men coming towards the room. "Go!" </p><p>The girls broke into a sprint, just trying to get to the exit. However, one of the men must have been outside and alerted to their presence by the others, as there was suddenly a large man cutting off their exit. The others came rushing behind them and just like that, they were trapped. </p><p>"Now, what are some lovely ladies like you two doing here?" one of the men asked as he approached them. M.J. stepped in front of Betty, holding the pipe in front of her, ready to swing at anyone who came near them. Her heart sank when the man drew a gun and was still out of her swing's reach. "Don't you know it's dangerous this time of night in this neighborhood?"</p><p>Crash! </p><p>Suddenly, a familiar red and black figure came crashing through a window in the side of the room. Acting without hesitation, he webbed the gun away from the man and immediately sprung into action from there. M.J. backed her and Betty up against the wall behind them, trying to keep them away from the fighting. She had seen Peter fight as Spider-Man only once before: when they were in Prague and he was fighting the massive fire monster that turned out to be a bunch of drones. This time was different. Where as last time he had struggled at times, this fight was going overwhelmingly in his favor. With such a combination of finesse and power, he finished off guy after guy, knocking them out or webbing them to the wall. There must have been more guys outside, because more rushed in to face him, but it was pointless. He dispatched them one at a time. She had to admit, seeing him handling this so effortlessly, so powerfully was...attractive. This powerful superhero who was taking on all these guys was her man underneath that mask. She caught herself feeling a swell of pride inside her, but she made sure to leave no indication of it on the outside so Betty wouldn't catch on. </p><p>After finally taking down the last guy, Spider-Man looked over at the them, and M.J. felt her heart skip a beat before she regained her composure. </p><p>"Are you two okay?" he asked. She could tell he was trying to put on a fake voice that wasn't as believable as he would like, but Betty didn't seem to notice. </p><p>"Yes, yes thank you, Mr. Spider-Man," she got out. Wow, really? What was it about Peter, in or out of costume, that somehow brought this weird and awkward side out of her like this? </p><p>"I'll check to make sure nobody else is coming, then I will give you the all clear to get out of here" he said, and next thing she knew he was out the window he came in through. He came back in less than a minute to give them the all clear, and the two girls were on their way. </p><p>They walked in silence for a while. M.J. maintained her usual "I don't care" expression to try and hide her frustration with Betty, but then the girl had to speak up.</p><p>"I'm sorry, M.J." </p><p>"WHAT ON EARTH IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!??" M.J. let out, turning her whole body around to face Betty. They were just on a street corner on the way back to her apartment, so not an especially good place to make a scene, but she didn't care. "You could have got us both killed!" </p><p>"I know, I'm sorry; I thought we would be in and out before they got back" Betty said. She couldn't even look at M.J. </p><p>"Why would you even want to risk such a thing for yourself, much less drag me into it?" Her tone was a little more composed in the sense that she wasn't just shouting anymore. </p><p>"I just..." M.J. could tell Betty was searching carefully for the right words. They had better be good. "It's just that, ever since coming back from Europe, I've realized that I tend to make a lot of cautious decisions. I want to be a reporter one day, and if I'm going to be a good one, I have to learn to take risks. I called you here because...because I thought if I had someone fearless like you with me it would help me be stronger." </p><p>M.J. forced herself to take a moment to try and process what Betty was saying. She could understand how Betty would think she wasn't afraid of much, but why did she think she would just be up for such a crazy idea? Nevertheless, the girl apparently looked up to her for some crazy reason, but she was not going to let that soften her too much. </p><p>"Betty...you can't just go do this stuff okay. I have no idea what it takes to be a reporter, but I have to think it's not just diving headfirst into any dangerous situation just for a story." She was surprised at how calm she was when she said this. Maybe Peter really was softening her. </p><p>"You're right. I definitely learned my lesson tonight" Betty said, finally looking M.J. in the eyes. </p><p>"You'd better have," M.J. replied, "because if you try a stunt like this again, I'm calling the police on YOU!" </p><p>Apparently that came out funnier than M.J. intended it, because Betty let out a light laugh before becoming serious again at the glare she gave her. "Right, got it. Well, I'd better head home from here." With that, Betty left, just in time for M.J.'s phone to ring. </p><p>"It wasn't my idea," she answered immediately. </p><p>"What," came the voice of one Peter Parker, "stalking some thugs performing an illegal weapons sale, or clocking a guy with something really hard against the side of his head? I found him lying a few rooms away from the others. That's gonna leave a mark!" </p><p>She had almost forgotten about the guy she knocked out; it had happened so fast in the scheme of things. "Oh yea, that part was me," she stated, a feeling of pride coming out through her words. </p><p>"Not bad," he replied, and she could hear the genuineness in his words. "Seriously though, what were you two doing?" </p><p>"Betty wanted to try to find evidence on what those guys were up to before they came back. I promise, I didn't even know fully what she wanted to do until I got here." </p><p>"I'm just glad you're safe," he replied, then there was a pause on the line, which told M.J. that he was thinking about something.</p><p>"What is it?" she asked. </p><p>"Looking back...yea, yea I definitely busted some of these guys before, not even a month ago! How on earth are they out of jail so soon!?" </p><p>"Our justice system is messed up," she said, "but yea, that is awful fast." </p><p>"I'm going to start paying closer attention on patrol," he declared. "With any luck, these guys were just a few that slipped through the cracks or broke out or something." </p><p>"Peter, you know you're just a walking case of bad luck right?" </p><p>"Hey, I ended up with you didn't I?" M.J. could practically feel his smile through the phone, and it forced one out of her as well. </p><p>"Don't you forget it, Parker. Be safe."</p><p>"You too, oh dangerous one." </p><p>When M.J. finally made it back to her room, she dropped to her bed and proceeded to sleep more soundly than she had in a long time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, this was even longer than I planned it! Hope you guys enjoy it! </p><p>Hope everyone is doing well. Continuing to pray for you guys. Stay safe and healthy! </p><p>John 8:1-11</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Bigger Fish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Who is this?" came the voice of the captain. It was calm and composed, but very serious.</p><p>"Captain Stacy," Peter began, trying to sound as authoritative as he could, "this is Spider-Man." </p><p>"Or just somebody trying to play a sick joke" said the captain, maintaining his serious tone. </p><p>"Okay, but if I wasn't Spider-Man, how would I know that there were about 10 guys that tried to kill a man who was on his way to meet you just now before I stopped them?" </p><p>There was a pause on the phone for a moment before the captain finally responded: "You've got my attention."</p>
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    <p>The next day, Peter woke up earlier than normal. He hadn't gotten much sleep that night anyway, so finally he decided to get up and occupy himself with something. Ned would be coming over later that day, but he still had plenty of time to kill, so he elected to start his homework. It didn't take long for him to finish it though, so he went downstairs to grab a bite to eat. When he got to the kitchen, he found a note from May saying that she had to go in to work and that she had left some muffins in the oven to stay warm. He got them out and ate his fill of them. With this newfound energy he had from a good breakfast, he decided to head out on patrol. Maybe a good swing around the city would clear his head a little. </p><p>Unfortunately, even after 2 hours, he could tell it wasn't working. How could those guys have gotten out so fast? It just kept eating at him, and soon other questions were pouring into his head. Were there more who were getting out too? If so, how many? Was he even making as much of a difference as he thought he was? When he first became Spider-Man, he had set out to do good for the city....the good he didn't do for his uncle. He was intent on making sure that, as much as it was in his power to control, nobody suffered a fate like that. No one should die for being the only one who did the right thing, like Ben had. Seeing those guys again last night though....it was making him wonder how much good he was really doing. He wasn't thinking of quitting, not by a long shot. He just wondered if there was something he needed to do differently. </p><p>He was interrupted in his thoughts when he sighted from a distance what appeared to be a potential assault happening. He could see one guy surrounded by a group of people, but he needed to know more. He landed on a slightly taller building adjacent to the one this was happening at to assess the situation further. The last thing he needed was another incident where he misunderstood a situation, like that time he thought a guy was breaking into someone's car, only to discover he was the owner of that car. This was after he had already banged the guys head into the car. He shuddered at the memory of it. </p><p>Tuning into the conversation with his enhanced hearing, he could hear one in the group saying something about the man they were all surrounding going to the police, which the man denied, but the other man shoved him down. That was all Peter needed to see. He jumped down, landing on the one who had threatened the man. "I think you boys need a little education in conflict resolution!" he said as the others charged him. Peter made swift work of these men, punching, kicking, and webbing them all so that they were knocked out or subdued. However, unlike last night, he realized he forgot something. </p><p>"Stay back, or this guy gets a bullet in his head!" yelled the only criminal left standing, with one arm wrapped around the victim's throat and the other pointing a gun at the side of his head. Peter knew he had to be fast, maybe faster than ever before; trusting his instincts, he fired a web at the gun, yanking it away from the man before the gun could go off. As he yanked the gun away, he had also pulled himself into the air, spinning around and landing a knockout punch to the side of the criminal's head. He webbed him down for good measure. He then walked over to the man to see if he was alright. "You okay?" </p><p>"I think so; thank you. I would have been dead if not for you" the man said, sincere gratitude coming out in between still somewhat panicked breathing. </p><p>"You might wanna invest in some new friends," Peter said. "You know, the kind that won't point a gun at you after a disagreement. Plus, I think these guys are all going to jail now." </p><p>"That's actually what they tracked me down about."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Peter asked, now genuinely curious for more details. </p><p>"These guys are part of a group that have been selling weapons and drugs in my neighborhood for weeks," the man began. "Everyone has been scared of them, but I finally got tired of it. I have a wife and a 1 year old; I don't want that stuff going down where we live."</p><p>"So you were on your way to the police when they caught up with you?" Peter asked. </p><p>"Yea, but I have no idea how they found me," the man said, still a little panicked. "I had been in contact with only one member of the police department, Captain George Stacy. I was actually just about to leave to go meet him." </p><p>Peter was familiar with the captain. He had never met him in person, but the man's reputation had spoke for itself; he was the fastest to go from officer to captain in the New York Police Department's history. He was also almost always the one speaking for the police force on television; Peter had actually watched a few of those broadcasts for his criminal justice class. The captain always made it clear to only present the necessary facts and remain impartial to anything but those. If this was the contact in the police force this man was working with, Peter felt he could be certain the man would be well protected. </p><p>"Do you have a way to contact him?" Peter asked. </p><p>"Yes, but when the guys found me, the first thing they did was have me give them my phone" the man stated. "They smashed it almost immediately." The man gestured to the shattered remains of his mobile device. </p><p>"Do you have his card or something?" </p><p>"Yea," the man pulled out his wallet and retrieved the captain's business card from one of the pockets. Peter grabbed his own phone, set his number to be blocked so that the captain couldn't trace it, and hit the earpiece in his mask to dial the new number, hoping the captain would answer. </p><p>"Who is this?" came the voice of the captain. It was calm and composed, but very serious.</p><p>"Captain Stacy," Peter began, trying to sound as authoritative as he could, "this is Spider-Man." </p><p>"Or just somebody trying to play a sick joke" said the captain, maintaining his serious tone. </p><p>"Okay, but if I wasn't Spider-Man, how would I know that there were about 10 guys that tried to kill a man who was on his way to meet you just now before I stopped them?" </p><p>There was a pause on the phone for a moment before the captain finally responded: "You've got my attention." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After talking things over, they agreed that the captain should come to them to play it safe. Peter crawled down the wall as the man used the fire escape to descend down the building. He had offered to take him down web style so it would be quicker, but the man seemed too nervous, so he let him go his own way. By the time they made it to the ground, the captain pulled up near the alley they were in. He got out, and he was more intimidating than Peter remembered: a tall, stout man, likely under 40 years old, with dark eyes which looked like they could pull the truth out of you with just a stare. The captain approached them, and Peter and the man he saved filled him in. The captain took the man over to the car, but turned to face Peter once the man was inside. </p><p>"Thank you; this man has important information for us that could be just the break we need." </p><p>"Not a problem, sir" Peter replied. </p><p>"I'm going to be honest with you, young man," Captain Stacy began, "I don't approve of your methods. Though you have improved, you still cause a lot of property damage and you answer to no one." </p><p>Peter was really hoping a "but" was coming.</p><p>"But, I see something different in you than the average vigilante: your heart seems to be in the right place. I have studied your career, Spider-Man. You joke around and cause a little havoc, but you always take care of business and you put civilian safety above all else when they become involved." </p><p>"Thanks, I think." Peter wasn't really sure where he was going with this. </p><p>"However, the biggest issue is that a lot of the people you leave for us to arrest use the angle that you are not one of us to get off." </p><p>Suddenly, it all made sense now. There were a lot of instance where security cameras could back him up, but a lot of crimes he stopped were on rooftops or dark alleyways, where no witnesses were in sight. It suddenly all made sense to him, but he still had one question. </p><p>"Fair enough, but how do a lot of these guys afford the lawyers to handle all that? Most of these guys don't seem like they're rolling in the Benjamin's."</p><p>"I have my suspicions, and that's something I hope this gentleman can help lead us to," said the captain, gesturing to the man inside the car, waiting patiently in his seat. The captain then closed the door, and stepped up directly to Peter. "Son, do you want some honest advice?" </p><p>The captain was very blunt and to the point, but he was also honest, so Peter felt he could learn something, even if it was something he would have a hard time swallowing at first. "Sure." </p><p>"You need to start looking to go after bigger fish." </p><p>"I'm not sure I understand." </p><p>"All of these guys answer to somebody," Captain Stacy clarified, "whether they know it or not. You want to really reduce crime in this city, then you need to start thinking bigger." On that note, the captain walked back to his car, got in and drove away. </p><p>Peter just stood there thinking for a second as he watched the car drive away. He had never thought about any of this before, the idea that there was one man in charge. He had read and heard stuff about Wilson Fisk, a man who tried to assert himself in a leadership position over crime in the city before his most recent arrest. None of the guys he had captured seemed like part of such a huge group, but then again, maybe that was a point. While he felt he had more clarity than he had in a while, he also had more questions, and one in particular stuck in his mind:</p><p>"Where do I start?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So excited to finally be getting into the meat of the story. </p><p>Please, feel free to leave comments. I am very new at this, so please feel free to let me know what your thoughts: what I'm doing well, what needs to be improved etc. I love these characters and want to give you guys the best stories I can and I want to continue to improve. </p><p>Please, continue to stay healthy and safe. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. </p><p>Psalm 102:1-2</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. That Was Enough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just before Peter turned back around, he caught Brad sticking his foot out, tripping Ned. Worse, he acted sorry as he got down to help him up. "Gee, sorry about that," Brad feigned in a remorseful tone, "just not your day today I guess. </p><p>That was enough.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter couldn't stop thinking about the captain's advice for the whole remaining duration of the weekend. He kept trying to come up with ways to start, but nothing would come. All he had ever known was stopping small time crime or individual super villains; there had been no in between. Sure, he had stopped a small crime family here and there, but that was just a tiny group of individuals that could be easily handled. The thought of there being some overlord over a large portion of the crime in New York City felt....overwhelming. If he was going to figure this out, he knew a strategy would be required, but it was clearly going to take longer than one weekend to figure it out. </p><p>When school started up again for the week on Monday, he was ready for a little distraction. He and Ned had hung out on Saturday and he had spent Sunday hanging out with May, but these things didn't force out his intellectual concentration in the same way school did. This would be a nice change of pace. </p><p>The first half of the day went by quickly and before he knew it, he was joined by Betty, Ned and M.J. at lunch, just like always. As they discussed what they did over the weekend, Peter noticed Betty couldn't seem to look Ned in the eye much. He had wondered if she had told him about her and M.J.'s late night excursion; the answer was now obvious. </p><p>"What about you Betty," Ned said, "you never did tell me how that late night adventure you said you were going on turned out?" </p><p>Peter saw Betty glance away from Ned to M.J. for a second, then immediately shift her gaze down to her food. "Oh, it turned out not to be very exciting," she said. </p><p>Ned, who Peter had never known to be good at reading situations very well, actually caught on this time: "What did you just look at M.J. for?" Facing the other girl at the table now, he addressed her, "were you in on this too?" There was no anger or accusation in Ned's voice, just genuine curiosity, but Peter was afraid of where this conversation was headed. </p><p>"If she says nothing happened Leeds, then nothing happened," M.J. replied in a sharp tone, indicating he should drop it. Peter noticed she made a point not to look at him when she said this, probably not to bring him into it too. It appeared to work, and they had a pleasant conversation for the rest of the lunch period. Later on however, while they were getting ready for P.E. class, Ned approached Peter within the confines of the locker room after they were both changed. </p><p>"Hey man, you and M.J. talk about everything, right?" </p><p>"Of course" Peter replied. Since she had found out he was Spider-Man in Europe, he made sure he was always honest with her, and M.J. had made a point to return the favor. Honestly, while telling her he was Spider-Man was not part of the plan AT ALL, Peter was glad that it happened, because it had allowed their relationship to get off to a much better start than it would have if he was needing to make an excuse every time he disappeared until he would've worked up the courage to tell her. </p><p>"Did she say anything to you about what her and Betty did?" </p><p>"Oh great," Peter thought to himself. He didn't want to lie to his best friend, but he didn't want to just rat Betty out either. She had made a mistake, one which he was certain M.J. likely made VERY clear to her. He realized he was hesitating, so he forced out the best answer he could. </p><p>"It was nothing." Yea, like that was believable. </p><p>"You do know!" Ned let out. </p><p>"Ned, it's not my place to say," Peter spoke up, more certain of himself this time. "When she decides she wants to tell you, she will. M.J. and I are not going to get in the middle of it." </p><p>His friend stood there, appearing to process what Peter just said. "Yea, I guess you're right." He held out his hand to perform their ritual handshake, signaling that they were all good, much to Peter's relief. He was reminded in this moment how lucky he was to have a friend like Ned. For as long as they could remember, they could talk to each other about anything and even tell each other things that the other person just needed to hear, even if it hurt a little. Even now, he could tell that Ned was still a little bothered by all of this, but at the same time had faith it would all work out. </p><p>They went out and joined the rest of the P.E. class, including M.J, Betty, Flash, and.....Brad Davis. When the new school year had first started and Brad had given him grief from the start, Peter had made a point in P.E. to at least not appear completely incapable. He did his sit ups a little faster, did a few more push ups, etc. Brad would still make a point to show off his "superior" fitness between the two of them when he could get a chance, but it was enough where he wouldn't verbally make fun of him for his "lack" of it. Barely. </p><p>Today they warmed up by running around the gym, then came the day that he knew Ned dreaded: rope climbs. They would climb up a rope to a platform about 10-15 feet above them that was only brought out just for this day, then climb down a latter on its other side. There were two ropes, so two students could go at a time, often racing each other to the top. Peter and Ned almost always made sure to go together, mostly because before he got his powers they would both struggle through it together. Today, however, Ned had lined up to do it with Betty, and Peter was right behind them. Brad was just behind him. </p><p>Ned and Betty stepped up for their turn, and the teacher hit go, pressing his stopwatch to start their time. After about a minute and a half, Betty had made it, but Ned was still struggling, until he couldn't hold on any more and his grip failed him. Peter stepped up and caught him by his armpits, easing his fall as his best friend's feet hit the mat on the ground. He could see Ned was disappointed, but he gave him a pat on the shoulder as Ned went to the back of the line; their teacher that year was gracious when he saw a student couldn't make it. Just before Peter turned back around, he caught Brad sticking his foot out, tripping Ned. Worse, he acted sorry as he got down to help him up. "Gee, sorry about that," Brad feigned in a remorseful tone, "just not your day today I guess. </p><p>That was enough. </p><p>Peter bumped Brad aside and helped Ned up himself, with M.J. coming by to assist as well, glaring at Brad. Peter knew that she knew just like he did that Brad was doing all of this out of jealousy over him being the one to end up with M.J, but today had crossed a line. </p><p>"Leave him alone Brad" Peter said, facing Brad directly. Despite the fact that Brad was taller than him by a few inches, he wasn't intimidated in the least, mainly because he knew he could throw Brad across the gym with little effort if he wished. </p><p>"I was just trying to help; you got a problem with me Peter?" Brad said defensively. </p><p>"Alright, that's enough" the teacher said, stepping in on the matter. </p><p>"You want to race, Peter? Would that make you happy?" Brad continued, not even looking at the teacher. </p><p>"You're on" Peter replied without a moment's hesitation. </p><p>"Alright you two, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone" the teacher said, and he instructed the student who was next to Peter to step back, but the class as a whole abandoned their line formation so that they could all see the action. Peter and Brad stepped up to the ropes, but M.J. ran up to Peter real quick, whispering a quick message in his ear. Peter nodded in response, then turned to face his destination, not even looking at Brad. </p><p>"Go!" the teacher said, activating his stop watch once again. </p><p>Immediately Peter pulled ahead of Brad at the start, shimmying up the rope with speed and precision. He glanced over at Brad a couple of times to see where how close or far away he was, but he never truly let up. Finally, a mere 28 seconds later, Peter climbed on to the top of the platform, with Brad following a few seconds later. When they climbed down, M.J. and Ned ran over to Peter to celebrate what the class was treating as the biggest underdog story they had ever seen. Many of the students were cheering, a result which Peter had not expected. He didn't bother to look at Brad, because he was afraid that he would gloat in some way if he did, and he was not about to stoop to that level. </p><p>After a moment the teacher got the class back in order and they finished it out for the day. After they had all changed and went back out to head to their lockers, Peter was greeted by Ned and M.J. </p><p>"You okay man," Peter asked his friend. </p><p>"Dude, I just got to watch you smoke Brad Davis on the rope climb!" Ned said excitedly. "That was more rewarding than any of the few times I have been able to make it up there myself." </p><p>"It did feel pretty good," Peter acknowledged before turning to M.J. "Thanks for the reminder, by the way." She nodded with a proud look on her face. </p><p>"Reminded you of what?" Ned questioned.</p><p>"To make it believable," Peter clarified. "She was just making sure I didn't get too carried away." </p><p>"Oh, makes sense" Ned replied. </p><p>They gathered what they needed from their lockers and Peter and M.J. still had a couple minutes before their next class, which was just down the hall. </p><p>"So, how did that feel, I mean really?" M.J. asked. </p><p>"It was...cool" Peter started. "After everyone went back to normal, it...I don't know, the moment just kind of died, and I remembered that I could've just jumped up there if I wanted to." </p><p>"Yea, but that would be cheating," M.J. replied in a playful tone, "and we can't have 'you-know-who' accused of being a cheater." </p><p>"Oh no, that would be terrible" Peter responded, matching her faux-concerned tone. </p><p>"Still, I have to say it was enormously satisfying from my end," M.J. resumed, "watching you climb the rope, knowing the entire time that he never stood a chance." </p><p>"Yea," Peter said, letting out a little chuckle as he said it. Suddenly, he noticed M.J.'s expression change, as if a light bulb had just gone off over her head. </p><p>"Hey, maybe that's what you should do as, well, 'you know who'," she said a little excitedly. </p><p>"Do what?" Peter was not sure where she was going with this. </p><p>"Climb the rope, you know," she said, looking around real quick to make sure no one was listening before turning back to Peter. "Work your way up the criminal chain, figuring out who hired someone to do a particular crime, what the money is for, things like that." </p><p>"Huh," he said, taking a moment to process her suggestion. "I guess I hadn't thought of that before. I'll have to think about it. I'm not exactly a very good interrogator." </p><p>"Then observe the surroundings; a vehicle with a company name, a tattoo that stands out, etc." </p><p>"I'll remember that," he replied. "Thanks."</p><p>"Where would you be without me, Parker?" </p><p>They both let out a small laugh at that before heading to class. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is so fun! I'm really having a blast with this, I hope you guys are too. Please feel free to leave comments/thoughts on the chapter.</p><p>Hope everyone is doing well! </p><p>Proverbs 27:6</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Good Start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"What can I do for you, son?" </p><p>"Captain, I might have something" Peter stated. "I can't make much of it, but maybe you can."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After school, Peter went to the lab early to  get some extra work in. He was going about his usual tasks when Dr. Connors came up to him. He appeared a little nervous, as if he had something he wanted to say but was uncertain about how to phrase it. Finally, he spoke up: "So, how's your...'other job' going?" he asked, putting air quotes with his fingers around the expression. </p><p>"Oh, uh, good, good." Peter was uncertain of how to answer. The doc knew his secret, but he was still uncertain of how much to share. May, Ned and M.J. were already really involved in his life as Spider-Man for one reason or another, and that was pushing it as it was. Plus, he didn't want to make a habit out of discussing his Spider-Man time in the lab should someone come in and overhear. This was highly doubtful because of his spider-sense, but he still didn't like taking chances. </p><p>"Good," Connors responded. Peter noticed him hesitate again before he once more spoke up, "Peter, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. You know that right?" </p><p>"Of course," Peter responded. Even after the Lizard incident, Peter had still never felt he had reason not to trust Connors. While his decision to use himself as a test subject was foolish and brought dangerous results, his motivations were understandable, and the doc had worked overtime to make up for his mistakes to everyone. Connors' wife had come by many times in the last month and things between them seemed as good as ever, which only helped to put Peter's mind even more at ease. If only he was that at ease about everything else in his life. </p><p>He continued with his work, checking all the animal cages and tanks, as well as looking in on the new plant life that Connors brought in. This was the doc's new focus; this new line of research had only just begun, but it already looked promising. He noticed the eclipta alba plant looked a little weak, so he gave it some water and made a note to continue to monitor it. Part of the new research they were conducting involved the livability of different plant life in various environments, so every little detail helped. </p><p>Finally, Peter finished up all of his work, including the lab report for the day, and went to say goodbye to the doc for the night. </p><p>"You need anything else, Dr. Connors?"</p><p>"No thanks; you've done good work today Peter. How about you?"</p><p>"What about me?" Peter asked, uncertain of what Connors meant.</p><p>"Do you need anything? You always ask me if I need anything, but do you need anything?" </p><p>Peter paused for a minute to think. Things were pretty good for the most part. Sure, he had some questions still about next steps regarding what he was going to be out doing as Spider-Man, but he still didn't want to involve anyone else in his mess of a double life when they had their own problems. "I think I'm good, thanks," he finally responded, and walked out the door. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After ducking into an alley and putting on his Spider-Man costume, he set out into the city, intent on finding something, anything really, to start with. He would look to find something seemingly out of place, particularly at an active crime scene if possible, and go from there. His mask's police scanner picked up a few different things: a drug deal here, an attempted assault there, the occasional weapons deal, etc. In the midst of all the webs and quips, he would set the system in his back to analyze the environment around him. He had it scanning vehicles, weapons, even the men he was taking down. Who knew, maybe they had some kind of tattoo that would turn out to be a clue? </p><p>Nothing. </p><p>All of this effort, and there was nothing. </p><p>It was coming on 11:30, and Peter knew he was going to have to head home soon, both for rest as well as his homework. While May had come to be one of his biggest supporters when it came to being Spider-Man, she was equally adamant about him making sure that he kept his grades up. He had been at it for hours anyway and stopped plenty of crime despite there being no real success in his new goal, but it was still a decent night's work. </p><p>He was about to fire a web line to start heading in the direction of his and May's apartment, when he heard a gunshot. He let go of the web he was still holding onto, landing on the side of the nearest building, and listened. A few seconds later, he heard another one. As he started for the destination of the disturbance, more and more gunfire was making itself heard. Whatever was happening, it was BIG. </p><p>After a few minutes, Peter made it to a rundown section of the upper east side, where he saw a couple police officers under heavy fire by a group of gunmen. They were going back and forth in an alley, but if things escalated, it could spill out onto the street. He wasn't going to let that happen. Maintaining himself still high above the action on his entrance, he fired multiple webs at the guns the criminals were holding, yanking them away. </p><p>"How many times do I have to tell you guys not to play with these?" Peter said in his best disappointed parent voice. In desperation, the men attacked him, but he handled them easily. One by one, he performed what had become his usual routine, kicking, punching and webbing the criminals until they were all taken care of. "Don't worry," he said once they were all down for the count, "these fine people will take you to a nice, cozy place where you can sit and think about what you did." </p><p>As Peter glanced over, he could see the officers rolling their eyes at his attempts at humor. Whatever; it wasn't his fault that they couldn't enjoy a good joke every once in a while. Some backup that the officers had called for arrived and they divided the criminals, hauling them away. Peter, satisfied with a job well done, was about to leap into the air, when he heard a noise come from around the corner, deeper in the alley. He figured it was likely just some animals getting into the trash, but he decided to play it safe, and walked around the corner. There was a door open into the building, if only just barely. He opened the door slowly. The room inside was dark, but with his enhanced vision, he could make out most of the details. It seemed to be just your standard old abandoned building; the city seemed littered with them. However, he followed a small light he saw that turned out to be a laptop. He walked up to it, examining the screen to see what was there. It appeared to be shipping records, specifically for various "supplies." Whatever this was, it was extremely vague. Could this have been what those thugs were protecting though?</p><p>He moved his hands towards the keys to explore the laptop's contents in greater detail, hoping to find something more specific, when his spider-sense went nuts. Instinctively, he leapt into the air as 3 gunshots came flying in the direction he was standing in the second before. He quietly moved over to a darker spot on the ceiling, watching as a man came out from the shadows slowly, gun still drawn. The man pointed his gun frantically in multiple directions. Peter stayed put, waiting for just the right opportunity. Finally, he fired a web ball at the gun, knocking it out of the man's hand, before springing down so that he was in between the man and the gun, facing him. The man had a height advantage over Peter, but he still looked intimidated. Maybe he was finally gaining a reputation among the criminal populace! </p><p>"Now, now," Peter started, walking towards the man, guiding him back to the computer, "what is a fine, upstanding gentleman such as yourself doing in an abandoned building at this hour?" </p><p>Once they approached the small table the laptop was at, the man finally spoke, "Will you let me go if I tell you?"</p><p>"No, but I'll make sure you get the coziest bed in jail," Peter responded. </p><p>"Who am I kidding, he'll get to me, no matter what." The man was practically quaking in fear now. </p><p>"Who will get you?" Peter asked. </p><p>"No one; I'm not telling you ANYTHING!" the man screamed, and he suddenly tried to run away in a panic. Peter caught him by his right foot with a web and proceeded to wrap him up good and tight with webbing, all the way up until he stopped just after the mouth. </p><p>Whatever this encounter was, it was important, and Peter knew he had struck a nerve with the man when it came to the consequences of cooperation. Peter went back to the laptop, looking through its contents some more. He could hear the man squirming to get free of the webs, but he knew his webs would hold, so it was easy to maintain his focus. He saw some stuff regarding plans for the purchase and sale of said "supplies," but nothing that could indicate definitively if they had anything to do with all of the weapon and drug busts he had been busy with recently. He made sure to save what was on the laptop, and tapped his earpiece. It rang a couple of times, before Captain Stacy answered. </p><p>"What can I do for you, son?" </p><p>"Captain, I might have something" Peter stated. "I can't make much of it, but maybe you can." </p><p> </p><p>After Peter gave him the location, the captain was there in 5 minutes. He walked in to find the man still all wrapped up. </p><p>"How much longer will this hold him?" Captain Stacy asked.</p><p>"It will still be good for another 40-45 minutes" Peter replied. </p><p>They then went over to the laptop. The Captain took some thin gloves out so as not to get his fingerprints on potential evidence, and went through some of the documents himself. After about a minute, he closed the laptop and grabbed it, turning to face Peter. </p><p>"I can't say for sure yet, but this could be the break we need." </p><p>"That sounds hopeful," Peter remarked. "It had to be what the others that were here were protecting."</p><p>"Most likely," the captain added, before slightly shifting his look at Peter from serious to curious. "It seems you're taking my advice." </p><p>"Trying to, anyway." </p><p>"Well, for what it is worth, I think that this is a good start, even if this turns out to be nothing too big." </p><p>"Thank you sir." Hearing the captain say that elicited a more proud feeling inside of him than he thought it would, and he caught himself smiling underneath the mask. </p><p>"I know you have faced dangerous things before, but I have to warn you son: if you go down this road, the type of people that could be involved...they will try and take you out at any cost" the captain warned. </p><p>"I understand sir, but I am ready and willing to keep going" Peter said. </p><p>"Good," the captain said, still not letting a smile form on his lips, "because I have a feeling we will need you again before the end of this." With that, the captain walked back, and Peter grabbed the still webbed criminal, putting him in the back of the captain's car. Stacy then gave him one final head nod of gratitude before getting in his car and driving off. </p><p>"Finally, I can go home and go to...ah man, my homework!" Peter suddenly remembered, and he leapt into the air and began the swing back home. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Norman was in his study, going over some things on his laptop when the earpiece alerted him that he had an incoming call. </p><p>"This is Osborn?" </p><p>"Norman," came the voice of Joseph, "something has come up. We have a little, well, pest control problem in our operation." </p><p>"Is this OUR operation, or YOURS?" Osborn questioned. </p><p>"If Spider-Man continues with the way he is going, it'll be both of us that answer for it." Joseph's voice sounded almost panicked. </p><p>"There is nothing they can do to trace this back to me," Norman practically boasted. "Besides, I'm not the one with a group of criminals under my control."</p><p>"We both know my men won't cut it, Norman" Joseph fired back. "Look, if this keeps up, our deal will mean nothing. I'll send you your test subjects a week ahead of schedule if you can promise me a solution to this problem." </p><p>"Very well, but, since you're feeling so generous, make it 3 weeks."</p><p>"2."</p><p>"Done. Once again, it is a pleasure doing business with you, Joseph." Norman then hung up before dialing a different number. </p><p>"Yes, I need the information of a Mr. Sergei Kravinoff. I have a proposition that I believe he will be most interested in."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Moving Right Along! Hope you all continue to enjoy! </p><p>Hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy as hopefully most of us will soon be moving towards a semblance of normalcy. </p><p>Ephesians 2:4-5</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Enter the Hunter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>His spider-sense went off again, much more intense this time. A knife came flying out at him, straight for his head. He only barely ducked out of the way fast enough, firing a web to pull the knife back onto the roof. The last thing he wanted was for it to fall on some innocent bystander on the ground below, but just as he yanked at the knife, someone rushed towards him. He leapt out of the way, landing on the edge of the roof, where he finally got a look at his attacker. He was tall, muscular and...wearing a jungle outfit of some kind?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Mr. Osborn, you have a visitor; a Mr. Sergei Kravinoff." </p><p>"Send him in," Norman replied. </p><p>In he came, and he was quite an unusual sight: he wore a jacket made from leopard skin, wearing pants appropriate for the man's jungle home. He was tall and would be intimidating to a lesser man, but not Osborn, who walked over to meet him, extending his hand to greet him. "Good to see you again, Sergei. Thank you for coming on such short notice." </p><p>"Always a pleasure, Mr. Osborn," Sergei replied in his thick Russian accent, accepting Norman's handshake. </p><p>"So, what do you think?" Norman inquired. </p><p>"After examining the footage you sent me, I believe that this 'Spider-Man' has the potential to be my most challenging hunt yet." </p><p>"Very good," Norman responded, turning to grab his checkbook from his desk. </p><p>"That won't be necessary, Mr. Osborn." </p><p>"I'm sorry?" Norman was confused; when he spoke to Sergei yesterday, they had agreed on a price for the man's services, but now he was refusing?</p><p>"After we spoke, I studied him for the duration of my plane ride here. If he is indeed everything he appears, the thrill of the hunt will be the only price I require. Housing accommodations will be all I need." </p><p>"Very good then." Norman certainly wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to save some money. He and Sergei worked out the details of where the man would be staying, and Sergei started to walk out, before turning around to face Norman once more. </p><p>"I do have one question though," he said, narrowing his eyes towards Norman. </p><p>"Yes?" </p><p>"What does a man like you want Spider-Man taken out for?"</p><p>"That's my business, Sergei." Norman wasn't intimidated in the least, and Sergei appeared to take the hint, turning and taking his leave. </p><p> </p><p>Peter was hard at work at his desk in his room, with Ned standing, peering over his shoulder. He had been working for quite a while already when his best friend had come over, at which time he proceeded to fill him in on everything that happened the night before. </p><p>"So, you're like, working with the police now?" Ned inquired.</p><p>"More or less," Peter stated, not taking his focus off his work.</p><p>"That's cool; who knows, maybe once you become an adult they'll hire you one day. I bet it'll be the start of some special task force or something. It could be groundbreaking stuff!" Ned said excitedly. Peter simply turned and gave Ned a look that perfectly expressed his doubt about that. Working with the captain was one thing, but as long as he kept his face hidden, there was no way that something like that could ever happen in a serious, official capacity. </p><p>"Yea, you're right, probably not" Ned said, probably realizing how ridiculous what he had said was. </p><p>Peter turned back to his work, finally completing it a few minutes later. "Finished" he announced proudly. </p><p>"Awesome, but what is it?" Ned asked. </p><p>"It's a special two way communication device," Peter began. "If Captain Stacy trusts me enough to take it, we can use it to communicate at any time without the danger of our conversation being monitored or me having to use my phone, which could lead to him tracing me." Peter then proceeded to have Ned test it out with him; his best friend hit dial on his end, and Peter pulled it out and answered from the other side of the apartment. </p><p>"I know you were in the other room, but I never even heard it ring," Ned stated. </p><p>"Exactly; it rings at a quiet enough volume that only someone with enhanced hearing like me would be able to hear it go off," Peter explained. </p><p>"Really? That's cool!" Ned stated. Peter always enjoyed sharing this stuff with Ned; the two of them had always been science enthusiasts, and that was the start of what had been a friendship of many years. They met back up and decided to enjoy a Star Wars movie before Peter went out on patrol. </p><p>"Which one should we watch?" Peter asked.</p><p>"Watched Empire Strikes Back last time, we did" Ned replied in his best Yoda impression, "so makes sense it does to watch Return of the Jedi." </p><p>Peter let out a little chuckle before responding, "Alright. By the way, my Yoda impression is still way better than yours."</p><p>"Excuse me, I do a wonderful Yoda impression, thank you very much!" Ned defended, before they put the movie in and sat down to watch it. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>All was quiet through the first 30 minutes of patrol. Peter had brought the devices with him, contained in little storage units near his extra web fluid on his waste. He had considered going to the captain directly at the precinct, but immediately rejected that idea, believing it to be too risky. He hoped he would run into the captain again in the next day or so; if not, he would call him again to rendezvous with him and give him the devices. </p><p>He was swinging along, when his spider-sense went off. He stopped swinging, landing on a rooftop. He looked around, but saw no one. "That was weird," he thought, firing a web line to swing from again, when his spider-sense went off a second time. Letting go of the web, he examined his surroundings again, tuning in with all his senses. The only thing he picked up was the sound of a controlled heartbeat, so he knew someone was up there, but where were they?</p><p>His spider-sense went off again, much more intense this time. A knife came flying out at him, straight for his head. He only barely ducked out of the way fast enough, firing a web to pull the knife back onto the roof. The last thing he wanted was for it to fall on some innocent bystander on the ground below, but just as he yanked at the knife, someone rushed towards him. He leapt out of the way, landing on the edge of the roof, where he finally got a look at his attacker. He was tall, muscular and...wearing a jungle outfit of some kind? </p><p>"Who on earth are you?" Peter inquired.</p><p>"My name is Sergei Kravinoff," the man said in a thick accent, "but you may call be Kraven, the Hunter." </p><p>"Hunter? Didn't you know they outlawed hunting Spider-Men? We're an endangered species you know," Peter remarked through his mask in his usual sarcastic way. He wasn't being completely sarcastic though; if Kraven was the one who had thrown that knife, it was a good indication that his strength and speed were greatly enhanced. He knew he was going to need to be careful against this new adversary. </p><p>"Then I will make it my job to take it one step closer to your extinction," Kraven responded, unsheathing a VERY large knife from his side. He rushed towards Spider-Man, swinging the knife with vigor. Peter managed to stay one step ahead of him as he did, but only by a small amount. The man was precise, not just swinging wildly around like he was used to. After several dodges, Peter finally got an opening, kicking Kraven in his stomach, sending him flying back, though he managed to steady himself when landing. Peter fired a web at his foe, but the man jumped out of the way just before it reached him. He fired another and another, but Kraven dodged them too, getting close to him once again. This time, the blade managed to catch Peter in the arm. Thankfully it only nicked him, but it tore clean through a small section of his costume. </p><p>"Excuse me, do you know how expensive these suits are?" Peter said. "When this is over, remind me to send you my tailor's bill."</p><p>"When this is over, you will have no such concerns anymore" Kraven responded coldly. </p><p>Peter braced himself as his adversary lunged for him again, this time managing to disarm him of the knife when it came. "Aha!" he said, which turned out to be premature as Kraven grabbed him and wrapped him into a bear hug, squeezing him tightly. Peter felt as though his insides were being crushed together, but after a forceful struggle, he broke free of Kraven's grip, elbowing the man in the neck before immediately spinning back and connecting with a punch square to his face. This sent Kraven flying back and landing hard against the edge of the roof. </p><p>"Incredible," Kraven marveled, "I have never hunted something that could break my grip before." He smiled a menacing smile that sent shivers down Peter's spine. Was the man really enjoying all of this? </p><p>"Listen Tarzan," Peter spoke up, "it was all fun and games at first, but what do you say we finish this?" </p><p>"I fully intend to. You are truly a worthy prey, Spider-Man," Kraven said, apparently commending him. "However, it will have to be another time." With that, he dropped a smoke grenade on the roof, which filled the air when it went off. Peter lunged forward to catch his foe before he could make it quick getaway, but all he connected with was air, flying off the roof on the process. He fired a web back towards the roof, pulling himself back onto it, but it was too late. Kraven was gone. </p><p>Peter spent the next 30 minutes trying to pick up the man's trail, but it was no use. His mask's tracking technology couldn't even pick up anything; it was as if the man had just vanished into thin air. Landing on the side of a building to think, he decided his next move should be to try and find out something about this mysterious, jungle themed adversary. He dialed Ned, who answered after 1 ring. </p><p>"What's up man? Did something cool just happen?" Ned asked.</p><p>"Not exactly" Peter responded. "Look, I need you to work your guy in the chair magic and dig some information up on someone for me." </p><p>"You got it; who is the best sidekick ever investigating then?" Ned responded. Peter could feel his best bud's enthusiasm and pride from his voice alone. </p><p>"Someone named Sergei Kravinoff; don't ask me how to spell it" Peter responded. "He also told me I could call him Kraven the Hunter. I need to know everything you can find on him as soon as possible."</p><p>"Will do bro!" Ned assured him. "I'll get right to it and let you know what I find." </p><p>"Thanks Ned, you're the best, dude" Peter responded before hanging up. Next, he dialed the Captain. He was at least going to make something go right tonight, and Kraven was nowhere to be found, so it seemed like now was as good a time as any.</p><p>"Got something else for me?" </p><p>"Yes, but not in the way you think. Is it okay if I meet you on the roof of the police station?" </p><p>After a few moments, the captain finally answered. "Sure. Be there in 10 minutes." </p><p> </p><p>Peter made his way over to the police station in Midtown, and Captain Stacy was already waiting for him on the roof. </p><p>"What did you need to give me?" The captain inquired, getting straight to the point. </p><p>"I made these for us to use," Peter started, pulling out the communication devices. "We can communicate back and forth with these as needed."</p><p>The captain appeared very hesitant. </p><p>"Look, Captain, if this could get you in trouble, or you don't trust me enough yet, I understand. I just really think we can do better working together than separately, you know?" </p><p>"Fine," the captain responded, taking one of them. "I do trust you Spider-Man. Just know that if we are going to do this, I have to be careful how much I rely on you, because too much evidence gathered by a vigilante might not stand up in court. We need to make sure everything we get is viable." </p><p>"Understood," Peter replied. "Speaking of evidence, anything come up regarding that laptop?"</p><p>"Nothing concrete, but it has given me some potential leads. I'll update you more when I have more of a solid idea of where to go from here." </p><p>"Sounds like a plan. Until next time, Captain" Peter said, and the captain nodded at him. He fired a web line and took off for home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here's another chapter! Everything is starting to come together now; can't wait to share more with you guys! Please feel free to leave comments with your thoughts. </p><p>Stay safe and healthy out there!</p><p>Psalm 67</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Plan Gone Wrong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Sounds like a solid plan" Peter remarked. </p><p>"I believe so too, but I would like you nearby as insurance, in case anything goes wrong. I want this to be as by the book as possible, but if my men and I get into trouble, I would like to have some backup on hand."</p><p>"Just say when, Captain" Peter said. </p><p>"Alright; the shipment is supposed to come in at 8:00 tonight; pick a good vantage point nearby, and wait for my signal, should I decide I need to use it." </p><p>"8:00; got it" Peter responded. "Good luck, Captain."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Okay, so let me get this straight," M.J. said, "you were attacked last night by some Russian Tarzan guy?"</p><p>"Basically" Peter responded. He had spent the last few minutes before class relaying the details of last night's encounter to her, but he was still having a hard time wrapping his own head around it all. He had seen some weird stuff, for sure, but some dude just showing up like something out of a jungle movie in the middle of New York with superhuman speed and strength trying to kill him? Peter thought nothing would have surprised him after everything he'd been through, but life continued to keep him on his toes. </p><p>"I feel like I have said this every 20 minutes since I found out your secret, but you seem to attract all the weirdos" M.J. remarked.</p><p>"Does that include you?" Peter asked, looking at his girlfriend with a half smirk on his face. </p><p>"Yes, but I'm the good kind" she responded, holding her head up high with a proud look on her face. </p><p>"The best" Peter corrected, and he couldn't help but notice M.J. blush slightly at his remark in spite of her best attempt to hide it. He was always proud when he could get her cheeks to turn even the slightest shade of red. It didn't come easy either, which made it even more worth it when he succeeded. </p><p>Ned came up and joined the two of them. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"</p><p>"Always," M.J. said with without missing a beat, "but don't worry, you're still in our little nerd circle."</p><p>"Well that's a relief" Ned said, wiping his hand over his forehead as if he were relieved. It had taken him a little while not to be thrown by M.J.'s remarks, but Peter was proud of his best friend for learning not to always take her so seriously.</p><p>"Oh, by the way, I dug up what I could about our mystery jungle man" Ned said, taking off his backpack so he could unzip it. He pulled out some printed articles and information on the mysterious Sergei Kravinoff. </p><p>"It says here he was one of the best big game hunters in the world," Peter said as he glanced over an article. </p><p>"Yea, but get this: he NEVER uses guns when subduing his prey" Ned said excitedly. "He only uses weapons that he makes on his own, which is mostly knives and the occasional bow and arrow." </p><p>Peter glanced up at his best friend. "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about the capabilities of someone who is trying to kill me" he said sarcastically before returning his eyes to the articles. </p><p>"Sorry" Ned said sheepishly, realizing he was getting caught up in something cool again. </p><p>"It says here that he disappeared from public life 2 years ago after he was attacked and nearly killed by a lion," M.J. observed. </p><p>"Yeah, that's the most recent thing I could find on him" Ned said. "Nobody has had any clue on his whereabouts until he came for you last night." </p><p>"Seems like more than a coincidence" M.J. stated.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Peter asked, giving his girlfriend a puzzled look. </p><p>"You're on the trail of something big in the New York underworld, and suddenly some guy with a penchant for hunting things comes after you?" M.J. clarified. </p><p>"I don't know," Peter started skeptically, "he made it seem like I was some big prize to him. He seemed like he was enjoying the whole fight and even called me a worthy opponent at one point. It could just be that he came after me because he enjoyed the thought of taking me down." </p><p>"Maybe," M.J. said, "but I wouldn't rule out the idea that this is all tied together." </p><p>Suddenly the 5 minute warning bell rang, and the three of them went to their classes to start the school day. </p><p> </p><p>Peter was at the lab, checking up on the eclipta alba plant, which seemed to be doing much better, when the device that he made for the Captain to stay in contact with him went off. "Excuse me Doc, I need to step out and take this real quick." </p><p>"No problem Peter" the Doc said, not even turning from his work. Peter stepped outside, pulled out the device and set it in his ear, tapping it once to answer. </p><p>"Yes Captain?"</p><p>"That laptop you found might have been our big break after all" Captain Stacy began. "It turns out that it contains records of various shipments sent to multiple construction sites for 'Hammerhead Construction.' However, none of what they received is actually listed." </p><p>"Hammerhead Construction?" Peter questioned. "Isn't that run by the guy with the metal plate in his skull?"</p><p>"Yes; Joseph is his name" the Captain said. "He suffered a memory loss after the incident where he had to have the plate inserted; that's why he doesn't ever use a last name: he doesn't know it." </p><p>"That must be awkward" Peter remarked. </p><p>"Anyway," Captain Stacy continued, "one of the shipments is supposed to come in tonight at the construction site on the Upper East Side. We don't have enough information for a warrant, but one of my men will be going undercover as one of the workers tonight. If he can confirm anything illegal, he'll give a signal, and then me and a group of officers will raid the site." </p><p>"Sounds like a solid plan" Peter remarked. </p><p>"I believe so too, but I would like you nearby as insurance, in case anything goes wrong. I want this to be as by the book as possible, but if my men and I get into trouble, I would like to have some backup on hand."</p><p>"Just say when, Captain" Peter said. </p><p>"Alright; the shipment is supposed to come in at 8:00 tonight; pick a good vantage point nearby, and wait for my signal, should I decide I need to use it." </p><p>"8:00; got it" Peter responded. "Good luck, Captain." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Peter found a decently tall spot on a building near the construction site and perched himself there. He had worked quickly at the lab to finish early and get there on time; thankfully, it was 8:00 on the dot. He informed the Captain that he was in position and he waited. Most of the site was visible from his position and he watched as the shipment came in. There appeared to be nothing illegal in plain sight from what he could see, but it was too early to know for sure. He sat and waited, trying not to get too antsy about the whole thing. This was the kind of thing he wanted though: he and the police on the same side, working together. He always believed that they could collectively accomplish more this way. That dream might finally become a reality. On the other hand, he kind of hoped he wouldn't have to get involved at all, because that would mean the operation went smoothly. </p><p>Finally, he could see the Captain and his men moving in to raid the site. The captain and some of the men were eventually out of view, so all he could do now was wait. He was starting to get a little anxious, and he caught himself holding his breath at one point, releasing it in the hope of calming down. Just as he did, he heard gunshots, and the Captain yelling through the device in his ear. </p><p>"GET DOWN HERE!!" </p><p>"On my w.."</p><p>Spider-Sense</p><p>Peter turned just in time to see Kraven jumping him. He released the web line he had already fired and jumped to the side, just barely out of reach of his adversary. </p><p>"You seem to have some precognitive sense that warns you of my arrival" Kraven remarked. Peter noticed when he said this that he was also shifting his position so that he was blocking the way to the site. He didn't have time for this; he needed to deal with this interruption quickly. Kraven attacked him vigorously once more, maintaining close proximity at all times. He tackled Peter, forcing him to the ground.</p><p>"Do you read me?" The captain called through the earpiece, "We need back up, now!" </p><p>"Working on it!" Peter called out. He managed to get his legs underneath his attacker's midsection and kick him off, and he immediately turned to fire another web to head down to the construction site. A knife came flying in and broke the web before Peter could even jump off. </p><p>"Really!?" Peter let out, and this time he lunged at his enemy with lightning speed, pinning him to a wall. He laid a couple good punches into Kraven's face before the man grabbed his third attempt, returning the favor by kneeing Peter in the ribs multiple times. Pain shot through his midsection, but he forced himself to fight through it. He headbutted Kraven, momentarily stunning him. Not letting up, Peter performed a sweeping kick, taking out Kraven's legs, causing him to fall on his back. Peter fired a web to try and pin Kraven while he was down, but his adversary rolled quickly to the side to avoid them, springing back up and drawing his knife once again. Peter maneuvered quickly around his foe's multiple strikes, but for a second, he caught a glance at the sight down below.</p><p>The cops were retreating; some of them looked wounded. Peter was caught in thought for a split second, and that was all Kraven needed. Peter couldn't get out of the way of the swing of his foe's blade this time, and it sliced into his right shoulder. </p><p>"Aagh!" he let out in pain, instinctively grabbing near the injured area. The strike had torn through costume and flesh alike this time. Peter looked up in time to see Kraven coming at him again. He grabbed the man's arm, throwing him off the side of the building. Immediately Peter ran to the edge, prepared to web him to the building. </p><p>Instead, he found nothing. </p><p>He had lost his attacker. Again. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>By now, the cops had retreated back to a safe distance. Peter quickly made his way down there, and what he saw horrified him: multiple cops shot or otherwise wounded. Captain Stacy came out to meet him. "Where the devil have you be.." Peter noticed he was looking at his wounded shoulder. "Of course" the captain said. </p><p>"What?" Peter asked. </p><p>The captain moved over to a more private place for them to talk as ambulances came in to take care of the wounded officers. "They were prepared for us," Captain Stacy stated. </p><p>"What happened in there?" Peter asked. </p><p>"The man we sent in must have been a mole or something for them" the captain began. "He signaled for us to come, but when we got there, we found nothing illegal. The man who was our guy on the inside drew his gun and fired out of apparent anger, and a firefight broke out."</p><p>"So what, they pay this guy to make you guys look bad?" Peter asked. </p><p>"Yes, and he's the first they go after in order to clean up loose ends. He's dead." </p><p>"Oh, man." Peter remarked. </p><p>"What about you?" the Captain asks, pointing to Peter's shoulder. </p><p>"I was attacked by the same guy for the second time in two days. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but now..." Peter trailed off. </p><p>"Son, if I were you, I would take care of him first. Once he's dealt with, then you will be able to help us again. Until then, I think it's best you focus on that." </p><p>"Yes sir" Peter responded as the Captain walked away. He hated to admit it, but the captain was right; in fact M.J. and the captain were both right. This was definitely more than a coincidence. As he started for home, he had only one thing on his mind. </p><p>Find Kraven, and take him down.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm really enjoying getting into the thick of the action now. Hope you all enjoy it too! Please feel free to leave a comment saying if you like it and what worked/didn't work. </p><p>Stay Safe Everyone! </p><p>Proverbs 3:5-6</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Choices, Consequences and Adaptions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Hey Peter," he called out, walking up to them in the process. Peter and M.J. both turned to meet him. "You ready for a rematch in Gym class today?" By now, he was only inches away from Peter. </p><p>"No thanks," Peter replied, not wanting to get involved in anything else, though it was getting more and more difficult by the second. </p><p>"Oh come on Peter, don't be a chicken" Brad goaded. </p><p>"Back off Brad," M.J. warned. Peter glanced over at his girlfriend to see her eyes narrowed at Brad. He had seen her be intimidating, but that look was like nothing he had ever seen before.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You were right M.J." Peter told her as they walked down the hall towards their next class. He had been late getting to school again due to Spider-Man stuff, so he was only now getting to fill her in on what happened the previous evening. "I was waiting, ready to jump in when the Captain called me, when he attacked me again." </p><p>"For once I hate that I was right" M.J. replied. The few times he had previously admitted to her being correct on something, she had come back with some sarcastic "I told you so" type of remark. Granted, none of those other situations were nearly as serious. </p><p>They were still walking down the hall, when Peter's spider-sense went off, though it was very mild compared to recent instances. Whatever set it off, it was coming from around the corner; probably someone trying to trip him up as a prank. He put his right arm over M.J.'s back to guide them both away from the corner itself to avoid any forthcoming trip ups. Sure enough, once the hall to their left came into view, there was Brad, with about 5 members of the basketball team at his back. Peter and M.J. kept going, determined to pretend as though they didn't exist. However, Brad wasn't giving up that easily this time. </p><p>"Hey Peter," he called out, walking up to them in the process. Peter and M.J. both turned to meet him. "You ready for a rematch in Gym class today?" By now, he was only inches away from Peter. </p><p>"No thanks," Peter replied, not wanting to get involved in anything else, though it was getting more and more difficult by the second. </p><p>"Oh come on Peter, don't be a chicken" Brad goaded. </p><p>"Back off Brad," M.J. warned. Peter glanced over at his girlfriend to see her eyes narrowed at Brad. He had seen her be intimidating, but that look was like nothing he had ever seen before. </p><p>"What? It's not my fault you ended up with a coward" Brad said, before going one step further and actually pushing Peter to the ground. He could have easily stopped it if he wanted to, but elected to take the literal fall for the sake of his secret identity. </p><p>M.J. immediately bent down to help him get up, trying to fake a little extra concern for him to in order to further Peter's identity concealment. "Are you okay?" she asked. </p><p>"I'm fine" Peter responded. "Let's get going; we don't want to be late." </p><p>They had just turned around when Brad had to let one more thing out: "Also, don't forget the incident at the rest stop in Europe! You know, where I caught you with that woman? I'll expose you one day, Peter!" </p><p>That did it. </p><p>Without even hesitating, M.J. spun around and punched Brad square in his nose as hard as she could. It took all of Peter's will power not to let his jaw drop to the floor and hang there in shock. </p><p>"Shut up Brad! You NEVER had a chance with me, do you understand!?" M.J. yelled. Her face red with a fury Peter had never seen before. "Peter is 100 times the man you will ever be!" With that, she turned quickly and grabbed Peter's hand and almost yanked him forward towards their next class. As he caught a last look at Brad, it looked like his nose was actually bleeding a little bit. He honestly wasn't sure what he was feeling in this moment; likely some crazy mix of pride and terror. He didn't dare say anything to M.J. as they moved quickly to their next class. </p><p>Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before the principal heard about their little incident. He had Peter, M.J, Brad,  and the basketball team members who were there at the time come to his office after school. Both Peter's aunt and M.J.'s mom were called, though only May showed up. Peter made sure he got an opportunity to call her while she was on the way to explain the situation. Brad's parents were also there. </p><p>Finally, after everyone had come in separately to discuss their version of what happened, the principal had Peter, M.J. and Brad come in with the guardians representing them. "Well, Ms. Jones," he started, looking to M.J, "sounds like you have made quite the mess." </p><p>"Excuse me?" she questioned, before Peter and his aunt both gave her a gentle look and she added "sir?" </p><p>"According to Mr. Davis and his teammates, he was just trying to help Peter up after he slipped and fell, and that's when you hit him." </p><p>"That doesn't make any sense" M.J. defended, making sure to compose herself this time as best she could.</p><p>"Sir," May said, speaking up to the principal, "if that's what happened, what reason would she have had to hit him like that?" </p><p>Brad's father spoke up next. "Our son has always said that Ms. Jones hear is really antagonistic, often for no apparent reason at all, so this doesn't surprise me in the least." </p><p>At this point, Peter couldn't help but shoot a glance over at Brad. Was he really that petty? He could feel his eyes narrow towards Brad in a manner similar to how M.J.'s had earlier, but he forced himself to look away. </p><p>"Sir," May said, speaking up before M.J. could get defensive again, "I haven't known M.J. for but a few months, but she has never once acted in this manner. I'm not saying what she did was right, but I don't believe she is capable of something like this just for the sake of it." </p><p>"See," Brad's mom said, gesturing towards the other party in the room. "My husband and I donate to this school and help out with so much, and this is what is allowed to happen in return?!" Peter had forgotten that Brad's parents were one of Midtown Tech's biggest donors. His stomach began to feel a little queasy as he began to see the direction this conversation was likely going as a result. </p><p>May and Peter both did their best to defend M.J, and she spoke a time or two more as well, but it was no use. Brad was the star of the basketball team and the principal seemed to be more interested in playing politics than administering justice. At the end of the meeting, the principal elected to suspend M.J. for two weeks. May begged for there to be something that at the very least wouldn't take her out of school, but the principal wasn't having it. Brad's parents thanked the principal for dealing with the matter quickly and they walked out, with Brad shooting Peter a quick look as if to say "I'm untouchable" before walking out behind his parents. Peter felt a rage burn within him as he clenched his fists tightly. He took a quick breath and relaxed. This wasn't about him; he needed to focus on M.J. She was the one who had been dealt the injustice here, not him. He didn't know how he could help, but he was determined to at least be there for her. </p><p>Peter and M.J. left the office, but May stayed to offer a few more words, which Peter's enhanced hearing caught. In short, Peter feared for the principal's career after what she said.<br/>However, he didn't have long to dwell on that, as M.J.'s mom finally arrived. "Your principal told me you hit someone?" M.J.'s mom was getting straight to the point. </p><p>"Brad pushed Peter down then wouldn't leave us alone." M.J. stated, again trying to keep her composure, but Peter could see this was getting to her worse than earlier. </p><p>"Mrs. Jones," May said, "It really did happen that way."</p><p>"I don't need you teaching my daughter that violence is the answer" M.J.'s mom said. </p><p>"I'm not saying it was right" May added, "I'm just saying she had a reason for doing it." </p><p>"Still, I expect my daughter to show better self control" Mrs. Jones said, turning to M.J. again. "You are grounded, young lady. School, home, and nothing else. That includes seeing this boy," she added, pointing to Peter, "do you understand?" </p><p>Peter started to say something, but M.J.'s mom shot him a look, and he feared he would only make things worse. That didn't stop May, who gently but firmly stated, "I don't believe that's really necessary, Alexandra. Your daughter has been nothing but a blessing to Peter and myself, and hopefully we've been to her. I don't believe taking that away is the best thing." </p><p>"I believe it is" Mrs. Jones said, before turning around. "Come on Michelle, we're going home." </p><p>M.J. turned to Peter, and he could see tears starting to well up in her face. She eventually forced herself to leave without another word or a fallen tear, following after her mom. Peter's heart felt like it was about to shatter. His girlfriend was now indefinitely banned from seeing him, for something that he couldn't help but feel like was his fault. If he hadn't felt the need to play up his secret identity so much, he could have stood up to Brad in a better way and made sure she stayed out of it as a result. Somehow, there must have been something he could have, should have, done. </p><p>As if reading his thoughts, his aunt spoke up, "none of this is your fault, Peter. Choices were made on everybody's part today." She put her hand gently on his shoulder, tapping it gently to reassure him. It worked a little bit at least; May had always been good at knowing how to get through to him. As they walked out together, May added one last thing.</p><p>"By the way, when I was your all's age, I would have done the same thing in her situation and not given it another thought."  </p><p>For the first time that afternoon, Peter let out a small laugh. </p><p> </p><p>"Peter, are you still here?" Dr. Connors' words shook Peter back to reality. He had been working on the final part of his report of the labs daily activities when he got lost in thought. </p><p>"Sorry Doc" Peter said, trying to get his fingers going along the keys again. </p><p>"You've been really distant all day" Connors said. Peter could hear him take a small breath before his next words: "Look, I know I've said this before, but if you're uncomfortable working here," </p><p>"Please Doc," Peter said, spinning his chair around to face Connors, "only one of us is allowed to be upset at past mistakes they've made." He managed to offer a light smile as he spoke. </p><p>"Oh, I see." Connors said. "Is it anything you want to talk about?" </p><p>"I don't know, Doc, I just...multiple things have happened recently that I know aren't actually my fault, but...things have just gone wrong the last couple of days." </p><p>When Peter saw Connors grab a chair and sit down across from him, he could tell the man was willing to listen, so he told him everything about the last couple of days: the operation gone wrong because he was distracted fighting Kraven, the fact that people got hurt because of it, the deal today involving Brad and M.J, etc. "Doc, it's just...I just feel like so much is changing and I just can't figure out how to adapt to it all." </p><p>Connors smiled lightly, looking down at the floor before looking back up at him. "Peter," he started, "most adaptive traits don't just come overnight. Often, creatures have to experience hardship before learning how to overcome the things their environment throws at them. Sometimes, it's to move on, sometimes it is to not hold back, sometimes they develop entirely new characteristics. My point is that, if anyone can figure this whole thing out, it's a smart kid like you." </p><p>"Thanks, Doc; really, I appreciate it" Peter said, offering perhaps the most genuine smile he had all day. "I guess I just don't feel very smart right now in the ways that matter." </p><p>"It'll come to you" the Doc said, putting his hand on Peter's shoulder. Connors then got up, and Peter returned to his report. As he was finishing it up, he thought through some of the different things the doc just said. "Adaptive traits don't just come....overcome the things their environment throws at them..." However, it was one phrase in particular that stuck out in Peter's mind: "sometimes it is to not hold back." Ever since gaining his spider powers, he had been doing nothing but holding back. He knew in many cases that was a good thing, because if he lost his temper even once at a normal person and actually hit them, he could kill them without meaning to. However, he was also holding back against Kraven, someone who it didn't appear he needed to hold back against as much. This decision could be part of what cost Captain Stacy the operation last night. </p><p>He continued to ponder these thoughts over, finally finishing his report and gathering his stuff to leave for the day. </p><p>"Hey, Doc?"</p><p>"Yes Peter?"</p><p>"Thanks," Peter said, extending his hand, "for everything." </p><p>"No problem Peter" Connors responded, taking Peter's hand to shake it. As he did, Peter noticed something in his boss's face that he hadn't seen since the Lizard incident: peace. It was as if Connors was finally beginning to truly put what happened between the two of them while under their animal alter egos behind. This feeling must have been contagious as Peter caught himself smiling the biggest one he had all day. He walked out, Connors' words still ringing in his head. </p><p>"Sometimes it is to not hold back..." </p><p>It wasn't going to help in all of this, but Peter resolved that when he saw Kraven again, he wouldn't be meeting some kid afraid to hurt anyone. </p><p>He would be meeting Spider-Man.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Things are getting heavy now. Brace yourselves folks, it's going to be a wild ride down the stretch! </p><p>Stay safe and healthy everyone! </p><p>1 Timothy 4:12</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Hunter Becomes The Hunted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"I see you are not just a good fighter, but a good tracker as well." </p><p>Well, there went the idea of disarming him. His position was clearly given away, so instead, he opted to walk up to face Kraven directly. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. </p><p>"I suppose that is the only question that matters when it comes to a man's reasoning," his foe responded in his thick Russian accent.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>M.J. sat on her bed, staring out the window in her room. The car ride home with her mom had been filled with silence between them, and even since being home, they hadn't spoken to each other. She had tried her typical escape: reading. After a short while at it, she had given it up and moved on to doing her homework, thinking being productive would help. Yet she couldn't concentrate on that either. After that she had moved over to her bed, where she had been sitting for the last who knows how long. All she could think about was how angry and sad she was. She had stood up for someone, one of the only people she truly cared about, and was punished for it. Even her own mother seemed against her right now. She couldn't go to school, she couldn't see the few friends she had, and she couldn't see Peter anywhere, for any reason. She knew it wouldn't last forever, but it felt like she had been sentenced to spend her life alone. </p><p>A knock on her door momentarily shook her out of her thoughts and she turned around to see her mom in her doorway. </p><p>"May I come in?" she asked. She seemed in a better mood than before, but M.J. was still too upset to say anything, so she turned her gaze back towards the window. </p><p>Her mom came in, and M.J. could hear her moving the desk chair in her room over so that she sat to her left near the end of the bed. </p><p>"Michelle, I need to apologize." </p><p>That caught her attention, and she turned to her mom with a still hurt but also curious look on her face. </p><p>"I was having a rough day at Oscorp," her mom began. "When your principal called, I was in a conference with Mr. Osborn and the Oscorp board. I was embarrassed and upset at the interruption, and when I learned you were in trouble for hitting someone...I didn't think about what actually could have lead up to it. What I'm saying Michelle is that I want to hear your side of the story. You deserve that much." </p><p>Her mom's smile and compassionate apology were just enough to win her over, so M.J. told her everything that happened. She talked about how Brad has been vying her affections along with Peter during their summer trip and how he had not taken her choosing Peter very well. She discussed the things he said to them, and how it made her angry that someone would insult Peter like that. </p><p>"I know I should've had more self control mom, it's just..." she hesitated, partially because she was fighting back tears. She composed herself before resuming, "Ever since dad died and you went to work, I just haven't had many other people that I've gotten close to. Peter...he means the world to me, and seeing how Brad was treating him...I couldn't just let it slide." </p><p>She watched as her mom took a deep sigh before responding. "I get it, Michelle. The few friends that you've had in your life you've held onto so tightly, only to see them leave or move on. What you seem to have with that boy..." Her mom was actually starting to tear up a little now, and it was making M.J.'s eyes a little watery too. "Dear, I am so proud of you for how you've been willing to open up your heart to someone like that. I haven't been there like I should have to teach you how, but you trusted your instincts and found someone who you could care for without my help." </p><p>M.J. couldn't hold back hear tears anymore; she closed her eyes for a moment as a couple of them descended down her cheek. </p><p>"I know I haven't been there for you like I should, and I'm so sorry." M.J. felt her mom's hand reaching over to touch her shoulder, and she almost couldn't help her response: she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her mom and hugging her tightly. By now both of them were shedding tears. She couldn't remember the last time she had hugged her mom at all, much less like this. It felt good in a way she didn't even know was possible. </p><p>After a minute or two, they pulled away from each other. "I forgive you, mom," M.J. said, smiling through the last couple of tears. </p><p>"Thank you Michelle," her mother responded, wiping away her last few tears. "In the morning, I'll call the principal and see if there is anything we can do about your suspension." </p><p>"Does this mean that I'm not grounded anymore?" M.J. asked, half-joking, but also with a little genuine hope. </p><p>"Not necessarily, but while you are suspended, I'll allow Peter to come visit you, as often as you want. Fair compromise?" her mom asked.</p><p>"Yes," was all M.J. could say. Internally, her heart almost exploded at the thought that at least she wouldn't be forbidden to see Peter anymore. The last time she had seen him, the look on his face at the thought of not seeing her only made her own heart feel worse, but she couldn't wait to see his face again, knowing how much different the circumstances would be. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Peter was sitting at his desk, reviewing his data. Ever since he had gotten home from the lab, he had been looking back over anywhere Kraven was sighted in New York City. He had pulled up a map, marking the two places he was attacked, then looking for anything he could find that might indicate his whereabouts: police reports, twitter posts involving sightings of some 'jungle man', him in the background of any news, etc. There wasn't much to go by; Kraven was clearly very good at covering his tracks. Finally, he found a few more data points. He marked them on the map on his desk, then he put on his mask and activated its internal system. He set it to run an algorithm of most likely possible points where his opponent would be located. He would then find him and bring him to justice. </p><p>As he was waiting for the algorithm to finish, his mask alerted him that he was getting a call from M.J. He hit answer before it even finished its first ring. </p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Peter, great news! Mom and I talked, and she said that you could come over while I'm serving my suspension!" </p><p>He stood up from his desk chair quickly in excitement. "What? M.J. that's awesome!!" </p><p>"I know right!?" she responded with equal enthusiasm. She NEVER got excited like this about...well anything. Hearing such a joy in her voice after staring into her eyes and her looking as if her world was falling apart earlier was the best thing he had ever heard. </p><p>Suddenly, his algorithm was completed. "Oh yeah, hopefully more good news will be coming soon," he added as he analyzed the results. It looked like the most likely spot he was in was in a hidden area in Central Park. Made sense. </p><p>"What's that?" M.J. asked. </p><p>"Hopefully after tonight, the jungle man who wants to be my new best friend will be on his was to a special cell waiting just for him. I've got a probable location on him now." </p><p>"Maybe we can celebrate tomorrow!" M.J. said excitedly.</p><p>"Definitely!" he responded, matching her enthusiasm. "I'm heading out to find him now. Thanks for the good news M.J." </p><p>"There's more too, but I'll save that for after you send New York's very own Tarzan away for good." </p><p>"Look forward to it; see you tomorrow M.J." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Peter made it to Central Park in no time and found what appeared to be a perfect hiding spot for a man like Kraven: an abandoned tunnel just beneath the park. He followed it down into the darkness, and after a while, he found his target. Oddly, the man was just sitting by a small fire, sharpening his knife. Peter knew better than to just jump right in, but he still thought it wise to try and disarm him. Before he could, Kraven spoke up. </p><p>"I see you are not just a good fighter, but a good tracker as well." </p><p>Well, there went the idea of disarming him. His position was clearly given away, so instead, he opted to walk up to face Kraven directly. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. </p><p>"I suppose that is the only question that matters when it comes to a man's reasoning," his foe responded in his thick Russian accent. He lowered his hands to his lap, his knife still clenched and spread across his legs, before continuing. "I was once the world's biggest big game hunter ever. It didn't matter what kind of prey I tracked or what environment I was in; I could always handle myself." </p><p>"So what happened?" Peter asked, still making sure not to let his guard down in case this was all a trap. </p><p>"One night, I was hunting a large Tiger in the snow of Siberia. I had injured it, but it got away. As I tracked him, I believed he was more damaged than he turned out to be....and I became careless," he said, looking down with what appeared to be a disgusted look on his face. "It jumped me when I least expected him and severely injured me. I managed to stop the bleeding, but I knew that without some kind of aid, I wouldn't last long. I eventually found some local herbs that I once thought to be only legend; they were said to not only be able to heal, but grant animal like speed and strength. I mixed up a large bunch of them into a form I could drink, and the legend proved true. I could hunt anything and nothing could stand in my way." </p><p>"What's the problem then?" Peter asked. </p><p>Kraven's face grew angry and his eyes narrowed as he responded: "It was all too easy. I could take down the greatest of beasts without so much as needing to catch my breath. For some time now, I have craved a greater challenge." He looked up at Peter, and the look in the man's eyes sent shivers down his spine. "That's when I heard about you; the great Spider-Man, who could run faster and fight harder than any normal creature. I knew I had to face you, to kill you in order to regain the true thrill of the hunt once more!" </p><p>Peter regained his nerve before speaking up: "This is your only warning Kraven: go home, or this won't be pretty." </p><p>"You're right, it won't be, for one of us." Kraven stood up, then lunged forward. Peter just jumped to move out of the way, and his enemy hurled the blade at him while he was still in the air. Fortunately, he managed to twist in the air out of its path just in time. Kraven moved for him again. He appeared to be fighting with an even greater intensity this time; every punch and kick were very precise and deliberate, with Peter only barely being able to stay ahead of each one. He knew at some point that he was going to have to find an opportunity to take advantage of, but he knew he would need to be patient. However, his foe managed to fake him out, throwing a quick punch before sweeping out Peter's legs from under him. Kraven then grabbed him and wrapped him in his arms, squeezing so tight that Peter felt he was having all the air forced out of him. What was in those herbs he found anyway? </p><p>Acting quickly, he bent down then jumped straight up, hard enough for the two of them to crash through the ground and come out into the park. Fortunately they were still in an area that was more isolated. This guy didn't appear to Peter to be someone who would deliberately use innocent people against him, but he was taking no chances of anyone getting hurt, intentionally or otherwise, at the hands of his enemy. This time it was Peter who moved forward, firing a web at close range to force his target to move to his side, only for Peter to deal a hard punch to the left side of Kraven's face. The impact stunned his target momentarily, and Peter didn't let the opportunity go to waste. He laid into his foe, throwing punch after punch at his face, his side...anywhere he could. After a moment, Kraven regained himself and countered, landing some hits of his own. Peter momentarily staggered back, but managed to gather himself and avoid most of his opponents hits. Suddenly, Peter jumped into a nearby tree. "Come on jungle man, is that the best you got? I've fought petty crooks with more punch than you!" </p><p>Kraven became enraged and leapt into the tree after him, which was exactly what he wanted. Peter kept moving along, jumping across trees, occasionally firing a web here and there. He kept talking so his attacker wouldn't realize what he was doing. "Come on man, you claim to have some big and bad reputation, but from where I'm standing, you couldn't catch a helpless kitty cat!" Becoming more and more angry, Kraven was also becoming more careless and sloppy as well, and Peter started closing the distance between them. He would wait for Kraven to miss him, then strike back with a well placed punch or kick. "I'm right here man, come and get me!" he yelled. By now they had gone across several trees and were high up in the branches. His enemy struck again, only to miss and Peter to catch his arm and throw him against the tree. "Just a little longer," he thought to himself. His spider-sense was working in tandem with his reflexes like never before; his body was in perfect sync in every way. Finally, the opportunity was right. </p><p>"Come on man; I'll even meet you halfway!" Peter said, leaping into the air. He knew this move was risky, but he trusted his speed and reaction time. Kraven leapt into the air as well, and as they met, he reached and missed for his target. Taking advantage of this blunder, Peter stepped onto Kraven's back and pushed him straight down as hard as he could. He eventually landed in the world's largest spider's web, which was also the world's stickiest web. Peter saw him struggle to get free as he descended towards his foe, but he was taking no chances. He fired some more webs and all but his foe's head was wrapped in a cocoon in no time. </p><p>"You did it," Kraven stated, no longer struggling. "Now, finish it." </p><p>"No," Peter said, sitting on a nearby section of the web. </p><p>"DO IT!" Kraven yelled. "I have been beaten; let nature take its course. Only the most fit are meant to survive!" </p><p>Peter crawled over to his enemy until he was beside him. "You chose to hunt a man instead of a beast, so you are going to play by my rules, and I have something I am much more interested in than taking your life." </p><p>"What do you want then," Kraven said, a reluctant defeat in his voice. </p><p>"Answers," Peter responded. "You came after me not long after I started looking into a particular criminal operation. Who hired you?"</p><p>"I know nothing of what you speak of," Kraven answered him. "I got a call saying that an old friend named Norman Osborn wanted me to come to New York, because he had something I might be interested in hunting." </p><p>Peter moved his face towards his enemy's. "You're a liar; how do you even know Osborn?" </p><p>"I saved him and his family once when they were on a safari. He asked how he could repay me, and I said only a good hunt will satisfy me. He told me that he would contact me when he found something, so I told him where I could be found." </p><p>"That can't be it," Peter said. "Why else did he bring you here?" </p><p>"He barely mentioned something about a business deal of his that you were interfering with."</p><p>This was not what Peter wanted to hear; now he was the one getting upset. "Look me in the eyes and swear to me that you are telling the truth."</p><p>"I am." </p><p>There was no lie in Kraven's eyes. Peter felt a terrible feeling come over him. He delivered a final knockout punch to his enemy, thinking it might make him feel better, but it did nothing at all. As he arranged for Kraven to be taken away, various thoughts were flooding his mind. Norman Osborn was involved in this? If this was true, he had to take him down, but if he did, all of Oscorp could pay the price depending on the level of his involvement....including M.J.'s mom. Nobody would want to do business with Oscorp even if it didn't completely fall apart. M.J. and her mom could be jobless, and nobody would want to hire someone with that close an association with Norman Osborn. M.J. and her mom could end up on the street. No, there had to be another way. </p><p>Peter fired a web and tried to fly through the night, but only managed to get to a nearby building's roof before letting out a scream of anger. Why was it down to him to make a choice like this!?? It wasn't fair. Half of the stuff he thought of at least might not come to pass, but he was mortified at even taking such a chance. He couldn't be responsible for putting his girlfriend and the only family she had in such a situation. He just couldn't. Yet, he also couldn't be responsible for allowing Norman to continue playing a role in these illegal operations as well if this new information proved correct. </p><p>He didn't know what to do. </p><p> </p><p>He sat on the edge of the roof for 30 minutes before he composed himself enough to get his thoughts somewhat in order. He decided that he would call the one person who could help him through this right now. He found the contact he wanted on his phone. </p><p>"May, I need your help."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow; so this ended up being my longest or second longest chapter yet. It's a lot more where I want to be more consistently in my chapter length, so that' good! What did you guys think? Feel free to leave comments with your thoughts in a positive or more critiquing manner.</p><p>Stay Safe out there everyone!</p><p>Joshua 1:9</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. M.J. Needs To Know</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"One, make sure you go about it carefully. You can't just base any accusations off of what some jungle nut job told you; you're going to need real proof."</p><p>"And the second?" Peter asked. </p><p>"The second is that M.J. needs to know what you are doing. You can't keep this from her."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His aunt listened intently as he laid out his predicament for her. She did not say a word at first, which was typical for her. May had always been a good listener; Peter believed this trait was what made her so good at giving at advice. She would take in every single detail, occasionally asking questions to gain some clarity for her part. This way ensured that she could give the best advice for the situation, even if it was something hard to take at first. Once he finally finished, however, she was uncharacteristically silent at first. </p><p>"I don't know what to do, May," Peter said, his voice quaking a little from the heaviness of the situation. </p><p>"I think you do," May began, her voice very solemn "but I can understand your hesitation." </p><p>Peter hated to admit it, but knew she was right. He did know what he had to do. If Norman was conducting illegal business of some kind, which more than likely was harming people if true, he had to put a stop to it. He thought back for a moment to his Uncle Ben; in fact, he had been coming back to that memory multiple times ever since this happened. Back then, he knew what he should've done, but he didn't do it, and someone innocent paid the price. From that moment on, he had swore to never again fail to do something he needed to do. However, this time there would likely be collateral damage in the life of someone he cared about deeply if he went through with it. How could he reconcile that?</p><p>"I know you're right May," he finally managed to say out loud, "but I just don't know how to proceed with this." </p><p>"Well, there are two things that I would make sure to do if I were you," May said. "One, make sure you go about it carefully. You can't just base any accusations off of what some jungle nut job told you; you're going to need real proof."</p><p>"And the second?" Peter asked. </p><p>"The second is that M.J. needs to know what you are doing. You can't keep this from her," May said in a calm, steady voice. Peter realized that he had not even thought of that yet; he had been so busy thinking about what he was going to do that he hadn't even bothered to figure out how to tell her. </p><p>"I guess I do." Peter barely managed to get the words out; the thought of having to tell his girlfriend that she and her mom could be struggling to make a living all of a sudden because of him made him sick to his stomach. "Thanks May; I appreciate it," he said, then hung up. He put his finger up next to the side of his mask, then held it there. He was hesitating, because he was still uncertain of what to say, but he also knew that he needed to get it out there sooner rather than later. He finally forced himself to tap the side of his mask, dialing M.J.'s number. Her phone rang a couple of times before she answered. </p><p>"What's up, dork?" she answered. Her voice was its usual deadpan self for the most part, but Peter could detect little traces of happiness still in there from her earlier reconciliation with her mother. This caused the sick feeling in his stomach to return stronger than before and he could feel his eyes getting watery. </p><p>"Hello?" M.J.'s voice pulled him back to reality, and he forced himself to the point of mostly composed. </p><p>"Hey, M.J; yeah, it's me," he stammered out. </p><p>"Yes, I knew that part already," M.J. responded in a playful tone. She was so happy. </p><p>"I uh, I have something I need to talk to you about," he said. </p><p>"Okay," she replied. Peter could already detect a nervousness that was forming in her voice. </p><p>"I caught Kraven; I beat him." </p><p>"Okay; you caught the bad guy, so why do you sound so down about it?" M.J. said, now a curiosity in her voice more than anything else.</p><p>"Before I knocked him out, I managed to get some information out of him," Peter said. "He didn't know anything about what's going on with all the illegal deals I've busted or any of the illegal activities possibly going on at Hammerhead Construction. However, he gave the name of who brought him here and sent him after me: Norman Osborn." </p><p>"Osborn?" M.J. responded in surprise. "Why would he be after you?" </p><p>"Kraven said that Norman told him that I was interfering in some 'business' of his. M.J, I think Norman is involved in whatever is going on. I have to go after him too."</p><p>"Okay," M.J. said, as if this was already obvious. </p><p>"You don't understand," Peter started, the tears in his eyes threatening to burst out, "if this is as big as I think it may be, Oscorp could see the ripple effects of this...including your mom." </p><p>"Are you saying...you think she could be in on this?" M.J. said, likely a little more defensively than she intended. </p><p>"No; no no no no absolutely not," Peter backpedaled. "My concern is that, particularly as Norman Osborn's personal assistant, if something bad was turned up about him, Oscorp would be shut down or otherwise restricted if they found too much. Your mom could lose her job, and with Norman and his company's reputation shattered, she could struggle to get a job. M.J....I'm worried that you and your mom will struggle to make ends meet because of me." </p><p>There was a hesitation on the line, then it went dead. </p><p>"M.J? M.J?" Nothing.</p><p>She had hung up.</p><p>He couldn't hold it in anymore; he took off his mask and sat down, burying his face in his lap as tears came flowing like a river out of his eyes. Why was he the one that had to make these decisions? Why was it down to him to make the call when it came to people's lives? He was a 17 year old kid! It wasn't fair. Nobody should have to do this; nobody. </p><p>After a few minutes, he was starting to regain his composure when he was alerted to the captain trying to contact him with their special device. Taking a big sniff to try and force back the remaining tears, snot, etc, he answered: "Yes Captain?"</p><p>"I heard about your success in defeating your stalker, and it couldn't be more timely." This wasn't full on excited, but it's the closest Peter had come to hearing any kind of enthusiasm in the Captain's voice. "Can you come by the precinct? I've been doing some more digging into Hammerhead Construction and I think I might have what we've both been looking for."</p><p>"Yes sir; on my way now." Peter hung up, fired a web and began making his way to the precinct. All he could think about was M.J. and he was really hoping he could get a better grip on that by the time he met up with the captain.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>M.J. had been sitting on her bed for the last few minutes, once again staring out the window in shock. There were so may thoughts going through her head: had Peter really said what he said? Was he really going to go through with this, knowing what could happen? Was she selfish for not wanting him to? There were no clear answers, but she finally got sick of just sitting there, so she moved over to her desk and grabbed her journal. She was going to do what she had learned to put into practice after the blip: write stuff down. It had really been helping over most of the last year, so she figured it was as good a thing to try as any; at least it was better than just sitting and moping. She put pen to paper and, after thinking for a moment, began to write: </p><p>"Tonight, Peter told me that he was likely going after Norman Osborn. If he is successful in exposing Osborn's potentially illegal endeavors, then it could mean my mom loses her job and we struggle to get by. I'm sure nobody would want to hire her if something came out; people don't seem to like Osborn much already, so something like this would only make it worse on those who worked for him." </p><p>"I'm...I'm really torn about this. On the one hand, Peter is willingly putting my and my mom's futures at risk. On the other hand, I feel guilty, because if this weren't the case, if my mom and I had nothing to worry about, I would just tell him to go for it. Does that make me selfish? A hypocrite, even? </p><p>"The more I think about it, the more I'm sure Peter, and likely May, would do everything they could to help us out if things did in fact go south. It's not like he is just leaving the two of us to fend for ourselves. He just wanted me to know what could happen. Still... I guess the question before the house is this: am I going to support Peter no matter what, even when it affects me too?" </p><p>"So far, I have learned to put up with a lot in this relationship; missed dates, ugly wounds, all of it. The thing that has kept me going through it all during these first few months is that, through it all, I know Peter has been trying his best. The effort is always there. When I look into his eyes, and he looks back....it feels like I'm the center of his world. That feeling hasn't gone away ever since that day on the Tower Bridge in London. I believed it then, and I still believe it." </p><p>"Really, I guess that settles it then. It's not going to be easy, but I have never doubted Peter's feelings, intentions and devotion towards me, and he has never given me any reason to indicate that he doubts mine towards him. I have to keep believing in him...in us....even when it feels like the world is punishing me for it."</p><p>"After all, better me than someone else... right?" </p><p>She put down her pen and grabbed her phone. After holding it in both hands for a moment with her eyes closed, she found Peter's contact and hit dial. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He was only a few blocks from the precinct when he heard it. Peter let go of the web he was swinging from so abruptly that he practically slammed into the nearest building when the ring came through. When he saw that it was in fact M.J, as he hoped it would be, he tapped the side of his mask almost as fast. </p><p>"Hey, M.J," he got out quickly. </p><p>"Listen, Peter..." she hesitated for a moment before whatever she was going to say next, which caused his heart to stop in his chest for a moment. </p><p>"I've been doing some thinking, and I realized that you are right. You have to do this." Peter appreciated hearing those words, even if he could tell that they weren't easy to say. Even so, he couldn't help what he said next. </p><p>"What about you?" </p><p>"Peter....you've been there for me so much," she began, her voice more solemn then he had ever heard it. "You've supported me and made sacrifices for me. This is my opportunity to do that for you. Besides, it's not fair for me to encourage you in what you do then shrink back when it affects me." </p><p>This was better than anything he could have expected. He let out a sigh of relief and his heart started beating normally again. "I don't deserve you."</p><p>"Don't you forget it either," M.J. said, her sarcastic nature beginning to return. Honestly, Peter thought that might be the best thing he could hear from her to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. </p><p>"Thank you, M.J." </p><p>"You're welcome." </p><p>"I'm actually on my way to the precinct to talk with the captain now," Peter said, happy to switch gears. It felt just a little closer to business as usual that way. "He says he has some new information, so I'm hoping that, with any luck, this will all be over soon." </p><p>"Knowing you, you could use some good luck; you know, other than me," M.J. responded, her full personality seemingly stuffed into that sentence. It made Peter form a massive grin underneath his mask. </p><p>"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking," he responded. "Well, I'd better get going. I'm almost there."</p><p>"Stay safe, loser." </p><p>"But I'm your loser, right?" Once again, Peter could practically feel her blushing and smiling on the other end. He had come to take pride in his ability to take one of her sarcastic yet affectionate statements towards him and turn it around on her in this way. </p><p>"Just get out there and do what you do best. Goodnight Peter." </p><p>"Goodnight, M.J." </p><p>As he hung up and fired a web to head towards the precinct once more, Peter couldn't help but feel like the luckiest man in the world to have someone like M.J. as his girlfriend. They had both been forced to make more mature decisions due to outside circumstances in their lives, but this was on a whole new level. </p><p>Yep, he had hit the jackpot with her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, this chapter got really heavy! We are almost there guys, just two or three more chapters left, depending on how well the remaining events fit best together. </p><p>Please, feel free to leave your thoughts on the chapter or the story so far. </p><p>Stay safe and healthy everyone! </p><p>Psalm 32:4-5</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Justice Is...Served?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter hardly slept that night; he was too busy thinking of what may or may not even happen tomorrow. He kept trying to tell himself that there was no guarantee, that something could still come up and block their way again. The captain sounded so CONFIDENT though.</p>
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    <p>Peter finally came to where the police precinct was in view and, sure enough, Captain Stacy was waiting for him. He pulled the web he was swinging from tightly, leading him swiftly to the roof, performing a graceful back flip and landing on his feet. "What can I do ya for, Captain?" he said, walking up to the man. </p><p>"After our little misfire at the construction site, I went through quite a chewing out by my boss," Captain Stacy began, "but thankfully, I managed to convince him to keep me on the case. Thankfully, I believe that I may have found what we are looking for."</p><p>"How is everyone doing that was involved in that anyway?" Peter asked. </p><p>"Thankfully, everyone that was injured is well on their way to recovery," the captain said, before his face grew a little more solemn, adding "however, speaking to the family of the man I believed to be the mole that got us in trouble in the first place was not easy."</p><p>"You didn't..." Peter's voice trailed off; he was unsure of how to phrase what he intended to say. </p><p>"Share my suspicions with them?" the man said, finishing Peter's question for him. "No."</p><p>For some reason, Peter felt relieved. Sure, the man might've been dirty, but even he didn't deserve to have his reputation sullied in the eyes of his family like that; not right as they learned they had lost him anyway. </p><p>"So," the captain continued, seemingly determined to get back to business, "I've been following up on some more leads regarding the information on that laptop you gave me. It turns out that a lot of the old deals on file coordinate with locations where either you or us have busted gun and drug deals."</p><p>"Is that enough then?" Peter asked, hoping this was going where he thought it was. </p><p>"Not yet, but I'm expecting some contacts of mine to follow up with me as soon as tomorrow," Captain Stacy said. "They're looking into some things regarding arrests made and what they seized during them. If it all adds up, we could get a warrant very soon." The captain sounded like this was all but a done deal. Maybe Peter's luck was going to hold up for once after all. </p><p>"Awesome; what do you need from me?" Peter asked. </p><p>"I need you to stay ready," the captain said, a seriousness and quiet intensity to his voice. "I want to try to do this without getting a vigilante involved for the sake of not giving a lawyer something to use. However, if things go south, I'll contact you as backup. You deserve at least that opportunity for all of your hard work." </p><p>Peter almost couldn't believe what he was hearing; was the captain seriously considering bringing him in during a major arrest? Sure, it would only be as backup, but this would be a serious step up from even a few days ago in his relationship with the police force. Maybe they were getting closer to working more in depth together after all. </p><p>"Yes sir; I'll be ready." Peter responded. </p><p>"Good," the Captain said, before saying that he had some work to finish up and thanking Peter for coming. At that point, Peter himself decided to take his leave, and he fired a web in the direction of home. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Peter hardly slept that night; he was too busy thinking of what may or may not even happen tomorrow. He kept trying to tell himself that there was no guarantee, that something could still come up and block their way again. The captain sounded so CONFIDENT though. He finally got up and, realizing he was running a bit late, quickly gathered his stuff for school. He barely said good morning to his aunt before he grabbed a banana to eat on the way and was out the door. </p><p>School was quiet and, if he was being honest, a little lonely. M.J. had texted him just before class started saying that her mom was going to try and appeal the suspension or at least get it reduced if she could. For now, however, he was going to have to focus on school without hearing her sarcastic wit or seeing her smile that still did weird things to his insides. This was most glaringly obvious at lunch; he was still joined by Ned and Betty, but M.J.'s absence was definitely felt. The other two sitting with him both offered their support as well as their own disagreements with the principal's decision. "I might even write an article for the school paper about our school playing favorites and catering to donors!" Betty offered. Peter thanked her for the thought, but told her not to worry about it, saying the story was likely to get squashed anyway. They managed to fill the rest of lunch with some small talk, and it made Peter feel a little better and appreciative of the friends he had there. </p><p>The last bell of the day sounded, and he was walking down the hall toward the exit with Ned, when his enhanced hearing picked up the communication device for him and the captain going off. "Could this be it?" he thought. He excused himself and stepped to a more private section of the hallway for a moment, putting the device in his ear and activating it. "Yes sir?" he answered. </p><p>"Spider-Man!" came the voice of one Captain Stacy. He already sounded exhausted and stressed out. Peter even swore he could hear gunshots in the background from the moment he answered. "We got the warrant we needed to go after the CEO actually, but the evidence we have on him must be more damaging then we realized, because he's throwing everything he's got at us! Can you get to the main Hammerhead Construction office building in Midtown soon?" </p><p>"Yes sir, on my way now!" Peter responded before immediately hanging up. He ran back in the direction of the exit, barely getting an "I gotta go" in to his best friend before flying out the door. He found the nearest alley and put on his Spider-Man suit as quickly as possible, checking to make sure that he had a proper filling of web fluid. He had a feeling he was going to need it. Once fully dressed as Spider-Man, he quickly made his way up to the roof of the nearest building before firing a web in the direction of where the arrest was taking place. </p><p>Even when he was still quite a distance away, he could hear the sound of repeated gunshots and explosions. It sounded almost like a war zone. Peter finally arrived, finding the captain taking cover behind one of the large police vehicles. He landed on the side of the vehicle, clinging to it with one hand and foot. "You okay, Captain?" </p><p>"I'm fine, but this arrest is falling apart," Captain Stacy replied, more composed than before, but still clearly stressed. "We cannot afford for him to get out of that building."</p><p>"What do you need from me?" Peter asked. He was willing to do WHATEVER it took to put a stop to all of this before someone died. </p><p>"I've been getting word that he might be holding some of the regular employees hostage on some of the mid level floors. Getting them out safely is your first priority. After that, contact me. I'll update you."</p><p>"Yes sir," Peter responded. He jumped out from behind the vehicle, dodging bullets left and right as he webbed his way up towards the building, finally crashing through the 8th floor of the building. The entire thing was 28 stories tall, so he would still have to make his way up a few floors before finding the hostages the captain spoke of. He quickly took out the armed men on that floor before finding a way into the ventilation system, where he began to make his way up to the next few floors. He set the system in his mask to scan each floor as he advanced his way up. Finally, on the 13th floor, he found his first hostage situation: 5 people being held at gunpoint by 3 armed men. He came out of the ventilation shaft as quietly as possible and quickly made his way to the ceiling. The way he saw it, he had two options: either he could try and find a way to get them separated enough where he could let his webs do most of the work, or he could get them close together and take them out with a few swift punches or kicks. He opted for the first strategy, firing a web at a plant near the corner of the room to have one of them go over and check it out, while another one moved over to cover another section of the room. </p><p>Finally, they were spread out just enough. He dropped to the floor hard on the first guy, knocking him out instantly, before firing a couple of specialized "impact" webs at the next two guys that pinned them both to the wall before they even realized what happened. Next, he shattered one of the windows and quickly got each of the hostages to a rooftop on a building next door so they could avoid the gunfight happening all around the building below. He repeated the gist of this exercise over the next few floors up, clearing guys out in the smoothest way possible before swinging the hostages to the building next door. Once he was finished, he reported in to Captain Stacy. </p><p>"Captain, all of the hostages are safe. What's next?"</p><p>"All of our helicopters have bee grounded; we think he is trying to bring in one to use for his getaway," the captain responded. "Get to his office and make sure he doesn't get away." </p><p>"You got it," Peter responded. </p><p>"Be careful," Captain Stacy warned. "I've heard some stories about this guy; he might be tougher than he seems." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Peter finally made it to the main office, it was surprisingly quiet. There was no extra security, just the CEO himself. He was standing near a window with his hands together behind his back, looking out at the chaos below. </p><p>"I take it you're enjoying the show?" Peter asked from his spot on the wall, if nothing else to break the silence. The man turned around to say something, but Peter fired a web at each of the man's hands that pinned him to the wall. He was not going to give him a chance to activate something like the time he let Toomes have a free hand to get his wings in the air. </p><p>The man glanced down at the webs as if they were a minor annoyance before finally looking back to Peter, finally speaking. "Naa, I never was one for theatrics." His voice was cold and calculating, and he didn't seem like he had lost control of the situation. "I'm a guy who likes to get straight to the point." </p><p>"Then let me break it to you," Peter responded, refusing to be intimidated by this man with a very strange looking head, "you're done." </p><p>"I don't think so, bug," the man responded, before ripping off the part of the wall his hands were webbed to and slamming them together, shattering the pieces that were tethered to his hands and the webs along with them. </p><p>Captain Stacy was right, this wasn't going to be as simple as he thought. </p><p>The man came charging at Peter headfirst, like a bull charging at a red cloth. He jumped out of the way as the man crashed THROUGH THE WALL, yet emerged back moments later, unharmed. </p><p>"Okay, I've heard of being hard headed before, but this is a whole new level," Peter said. "You certainly live up to the name of your company, sir!" </p><p>"Where do you think the name came from?" the man responded as if the answer should be obvious. He knocked the front of his head with his fists, adding "Ever since I got this inserted, people started calling me Hammerhead, and I took to it, to inspire fear in my enemies." </p><p>"Alright, Hammerhead," Peter said, putting as much boredom in saying the man's nickname as he could, "you're coming with me. I think the boys n' blue outside have a few rights they need to remind you of." </p><p>"No can do, bug," Hammerhead responded, before pulling out a gun and opening fire on Peter. After a few dodges, Peter quickly disarmed the gun, before firing another web and pulling himself towards his adversary, intending to land a kick to his chest. Instead, Hammerhead grabbed his feet and slammed him into the ground multiple times before finally tossing him into the wall.</p><p>"Okay, didn't see that coming," Peter forced out through the pain. "Point for you." </p><p>"Fortunately, it wasn't just my head that got some upgrades that day," Hammerhead said, walking over to him. It was bugging how in control the man seemed. "Most of my upper body now has various technological enhancements; more than enough to squash you, bug." </p><p>"Enough with the 'bug' thing already!" Peter said in frustration, forcing himself up and firing a web at the man's feet and yanking forward so that he ended up on the ground. </p><p>"You got spirit, I'll give you that!" Hammerhead said, getting back up. The way he said it almost convinced Peter that he meant it. Almost. </p><p>Hammerhead came charging again, but this time, Peter was ready. He jumped behind Hammerhead before firing multiple webs at him, spinning around the man along the floor to get around his whole body. Eventually, he was webbed up to the point where his arms were completely bound. Even with his enhanced strength, he wasn't getting out of it this time. </p><p>"I think we're just about wrapped up here," Peter stated, which turned out to be a little premature as some reinforcements arrived. Peter took them out quickly, but realized Hammerhead had made his escape in the brief scuffle. "Nice going, Parker!" he chastised himself under his breath, making sure none of the bad guys could hear him. He should know by now to always, ALWAYS web the legs too! </p><p>He could hear a helicopter landing on the roof, so he quickly made his way up there. Hammerhead, still webbed up and everything, was inside of it as it began to take off. Peter fired webs from both of his hands at the helicopter and pulled tight, keeping it from going anywhere. Peter yanked hard, pulling it a bit closer. He yanked again, trying to make an effort to shake it around to throw off balance anyone else in there who might think about pulling a weapon on him from inside. Finally, he gave it a good third yank, and the chopper came down with a hard landing back onto the roof. Peter moved quickly to make sure they couldn't escape again, webbing the pilot's hands together as well as two other men in there with Hammerhead. Finally, it was done, as Captain Stacy came up with some reinforcements. "Mr. Joseph, you're under arrest." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They finally got Hammerhead into the police vehicle to be taken away. Peter had made sure to warn the captain about his enhanced strength while adding another layer of webbing as a precaution. Once he was taken away, the captain turned to Spider-Man. "I think congratulations are in order young man," he said, offering Peter his hand to shake, which was accepted gladly. </p><p>"Sir, we did good today, but there is something else you should know," Peter said, and he filled him in on what he had learned from Kraven about Norman Osborn's possible involvement. </p><p>"Well, we will need a lot more, but it could be something to start from," the captain said. </p><p>"I'd even be willing to take a recording I had my suit take during that discussion and turn it over to you," Peter offered, hoping that would increase the likelihood of something being done about it. </p><p>"We'll see; even with audio evidence, it will still be the word of some jungle madman against the word of one of the most powerful technological moguls in the world. Let me talk with the chief of police and see what routes we may take. </p><p>"Talk to me about what?" Suddenly, the chief of police was there, right in front of both of them. </p><p>"Spider-Man has additional evidence concerning other parties who might have been involved in this case," the Captain responded. Peter just stood there, listening, curious to see how this exchange would play out. </p><p>"I presume you are talking about Norman Osborn?" </p><p>This caught Peter off guard, as well as the captain. How did the man know what they were going to say? </p><p>"I'm afraid that's already being handled." </p><p>"What do you mean?" Peter caught himself saying as he walked up to the chief. Surprisingly, Captain Stacy didn't even shoot him a look, instead staring at his superior. Clearly he was just as curious. </p><p>"Mr. Osborn came to me personally already, saying that he had believed someone in his own company was trying to frame him for participating in illegal activity. When this 'Hammerhead' paid him a surprise visit, he decided to record everything that was said between them, and he played along with him to get the information we needed. The audio he turned in was actually the final piece of evidence that convinced me to go through with the warrant." </p><p>"What about the person trying to frame him; how does that play into it?" the captain questioned, clearly not satisfied with the explanation of his superior. </p><p>"Mr. Osborn has informed me that he found someone embezzling corporate funds in order to make it look like he was funding the illegal activities going on here," the chief said, gesturing to the building Peter was just in. "He said he has the situation handled and will blacklist this individual so that they can never do this again." </p><p>"Who is it?" Peter couldn't help but ask. </p><p>"That's none of your concern," the chief responded. </p><p>Peter suddenly was getting a call from M.J, so he stepped aside and took it. </p><p>"Hey M.J." </p><p>"Peter," she responded, and it sounded like she had been crying. "It happened."</p><p>No. This wasn't happening. </p><p>"What do you mean?" Peter asked, desperately hoping her answer would be different than what he thought. </p><p>"My mom was fired and blacklisted just now. Peter, I..."</p><p>"I'll be right there," and he immediately set out for M.J.'s place. </p><p>It had happened. It really happened.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I think it's kind of obvious that I took some inspiration from the first part of the story from the PS4 game. I tried to make it just different enough; hope you all liked it! As always, please feel free to let me know what you thought in the comments. </p><p>Thanks to those who have commented and left kudos! Your support means a great deal! </p><p>Stay safe and healthy everyone! </p><p>John 7:53-8:11</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. I'll Be Watching You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Norman then went to work on his laptop before he caught a glance of a shadow cascading into his office from his window. He turned around in his chair to see none other than Spider-Man, perched right there, staring at him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is it everyone! I wasn't sure if everything was going to fit into this chapter or not, but thankfully it did, so here you are!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter was flying through the city, a blur of red and black heading straight for M.J.'s apartment. His thoughts were a mess right now, but he forced himself to focus on the precision of his web swinging so that he could get there as fast as possible. Before he knew it, he was coming up on her window, which was already open, probably in anticipation of his arrival. Still, he landed just to the side of it; he didn't want to come flying in and accidentally make a lot of noise, both for scaring her or alerting her mom to his presence. </p><p>When he looked inside the room, M.J. was lying on her bed, turned on her side so she was facing away. He reached into the room, making a fist with his hand and knocking a couple times against the wall in order to gently alert her to his presence in the room. She glanced towards him briefly in response to this before turning back around and sitting up, which Peter took as the okay for him to come in. She was still facing the other way, so he walked until he was standing just to her right. He took off his mask and squatted down on his knees, looking her in the eyes. She was still not looking at him, but she was making no effort to conceal the fact that she had been crying recently either. </p><p>For about 30 seconds, they stayed like that in silence. Peter was unsure of what to say, so he reached out and gently grasped her right arm in his gloved left hand. He felt her relax just a little at his gentle touch as she took a small breath. Finally, she turned to face him. </p><p>"M.J, I'm so sorry," he said, trying to convey every ounce of understanding and sympathy he could in his voice and facial expressions. More often than not, she would have hated to hear that, but her expression remained unchanged. </p><p>"I know you are Peter," she said, still taking in a breath as she spoke. "Just...thanks for coming." </p><p>"What happened?" he asked gently. She looked down in response, so he was sure to add that she didn't have to talk about it if she didn't feel comfortable yet. </p><p>"No, I'm okay," she said, looking into his eyes again, which gave him only a little assurance that this was true. She continued, "My mom was at the office today, when she said Norman asked her to step into his office. He then confronted her about some supposed money that was missing. She didn't have an explanation; she said all the numbers still added up last she checked. He then showed her some...'evidence' of some kind, I can't remember now." </p><p>She was beginning to have a harder time not letting her anger build up, so Peter moved to sit next to her, putting his hand to her gently on her back and rubbing up and down. This seemed to steady her again, and she continued: "He accused her of embezzling funds in order to set him up by dispensing it to illegal operations, so that the board would have to step in and fire him. She tried to argue against it, but he wasn't having it." </p><p>"Does he intend to press charges?" Peter asked, his voice still gentle. </p><p>"No, at least not in anyway involving jail time," she said, and the anger was building in her again when she resumed, "he said that she was fired, but that he just wanted his money back. He said until she gets it back for him, he will make sure she cannot get another job. He then had the nerve to say even that would be 'better' than jail time, because at least we could be together." </p><p>By now M.J.'s anger was spilling over again, and Peter found himself feeling the same way. Norman was really trying to set himself up as the good guy in this situation? Condemning M.J. and her mom to struggle to survive was really being "merciful?" He took a quick breath to compose himself. He and M.J. couldn't both be angry; he needed to be strong for her right now, even if it took every ounce of his self control to not head straight to Oscorp Industries and just let Norman have it. </p><p>She turned and looked at him again. "Peter, she didn't do it." She started to become a little frantic, which was very unlike her. "I know she didn't, I..."</p><p>Peter moved his gloved left hand to her right cheek, holding it gently as he looked deep into her eyes. "M.J, I know." </p><p>M.J. couldn't hold it in anymore, she threw her arms around Peter and buried her face in his shoulder, letting the tears flow straight into his costume. He just sat there with her, holding her tightly. He didn't say that it was going to be okay, or that they would figure this out, or even that Osborn was going to see justice one day. He just held her. His heart broke for her as the tears just kept running and she kept quaking against him from how hard she was crying. She had been through so much and it felt like it was his fault. Deep down he knew better, and he knew Norman had likely planned a lot of this out, but he couldn't help but feel that his looking into all of this pushed it to happen. Above all else, it just was not fair. She had stood by him and elected to support him in his decision to go through with all of this, but now SHE was the one paying the price for HIS actions. </p><p>Finally, she pulled away from him, taking a big sniff and wiping away the last of her tears. "Thank you, Peter," she said, managing a small smile at him. </p><p>"It's the least I can do, seeing as I got you into this mess," he said, looking down as he finished the sentence. </p><p>"You stop right there," she said, putting a finger to his lips as if to shush him. "You did nothing; this was all him," she said with no small amount of certainty in her voice. "I made the choice to support you in this, to support everything you do out there, and I have no regrets. None." </p><p>He looked into her eyes and smiled a grateful smile. Seriously, what did he do to deserve her? </p><p>"Is your mom here now?" he asked. </p><p>"No; she's out trying to find a lawyer. Normally, she'd just have access to Oscorp lawyers, but, you know, not anymore obviously. She told me before he left that she was going to win this thing, whatever it took."</p><p>"I see where you get your spirit now," Peter said in a half playful tone. </p><p>She held up her thumb and pointer finger close together with her face squinted a little, before adding "Maybe a little; I think it's mostly just me though." Something about hearing her come back to her sarcastic self just a little was deeply reassuring to him. He stayed with her for a while longer, but before he knew it, the sun was going down. He checked to make sure that she did not need anything else, and she assured him she didn't. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, reminding her that she could call him, no matter what time it was, if she needed him, and put his mask back on before jumping out the window. </p><p>After swinging for a few blocks, he decided to swing by the precinct and contact Captain Stacy to see if there was anything they could do. To his surprise, the Captain was already out on the roof, looking at the nighttime skyline when he arrived. </p><p>"You took off in a hurry earlier," the Captain said. He didn't seem angry, so that was good. </p><p>"Sorry; I had a personal matter come up," Peter said. "So...what happens now?" </p><p>"What happens now is you and I have to be careful," said Captain Stacy, finally turning around to face him. "After you left, the chief told me that, while he was grateful for your help in this instance, he doesn't want vigilantes, even Avengers, interfering with police business."</p><p>"But he would've gotten away if not for me," Peter said, a little louder than he meant for it to come out. He also thought it sounded too proud. </p><p>Thankfully, the Captain didn't appear to think so. "That's true," he said, "but we'll still have to play by the rules, for now at least. After everything you have told me, I'm going to start looking into Norman Osborn myself." </p><p>"You didn't actually buy that whole thing the chief told us, do you?" Peter couldn't help but find himself sticking up for his girlfriend's mom a bit. </p><p>"I believe that it's going to be the story for now," the captain said in a very even tone. "Blacklisting is not something most people are very vocal about. Also, the fact that he didn't immediately have her arrested is suspicious to me. I have a feeling there is likely more to the story, especially if what Kraven told you is true, but we are going to need more hard evidence." </p><p>"Yeah..." Peter found himself trailing off. It had taken a lot of work and a stroke of luck to get Hammerhead taken off the board, and now he believed there to be another power behind this stuff. It was a lot to process for someone who hadn't even decided for sure where they would go to college yet. </p><p>"Sir, may I ask you something?" </p><p>"Go ahead, son," the captain said, almost as if he was anticipating what Peter would say next. </p><p>"How do you keep doing this?" he asked. "You take down a bad guy, only for another to take its place. Then, you learn of a mole in the force, or someone pulling the strings in a position of power...how do you keep going?" </p><p>Captain Stacy looked up to the sky for a moment before looking back down at Peter and answering. </p><p>"I remember what I'm fighting for. My wife and daughter, they mean the world to me. Sure, we do this for the city, the people, but having that motivation of loved ones who are standing by your side is everything." He then gestured to the city before continuing, "I go out there every day with the hope that, if only in some small way, if only a little at a time, I can make this world a better place for my wife and I to grow old together and my daughter to grow up in." </p><p>He then took a step closer to Peter, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Son," he said, looking Peter dead in the eyes as if his mask wasn't hiding them, "hold onto the people that you love in this world. People like you and me, we can't go out there every day and do what we have to do if they aren't there supporting us through it all. Never take them for granted, but enjoy every bit of time you have with them."</p><p>"Yes sir," Peter said. Captain Stacy was right. He had his aunt, Ned, M.J, etc. They were the people that meant more than anything to him, and they had stood by him through thick and thin so far in his time as Spider-Man. If no one else, he owed it to all of them to keep going in this, no matter what obstacles he faced. </p><p>His morale reassured for the moment, he and the captain agreed to continue to stay in touch before he said goodnight and took off swinging for home. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Surprisingly, Peter had actually got some decent sleep that night, and actually felt more like himself than he expected to as he went through the school day. He still missed M.J. a lot throughout the day; he had spoke to her that morning before going into school. She said that she didn't believe her mom would have much free time on her hands to deal with the school while their situation was going on, despite her mom's insistence that she would try. He ran across Brad a couple of times, but ignored the looks he gave him. Despite the fact that M.J. was suspended for what she did, the whole school seemed to be talking about what happened, and a lot of it was not in Brad's favor. </p><p>Peter sat down to lunch with Ned, but Betty was nowhere to be seen, much to his surprise. He asked his best friend where she was. </p><p>"She's not feeling well today, so she stayed home from school." </p><p>"Sorry to hear that," Peter said as he picked up his sandwich to take a bite. </p><p>"It's okay, it just sounds like a case of the flu, she should be back soon. Hey, so I was thinking of bringing her some flowers. What kind should I get? Should I get roses? No, those are two stereotypical. What about irises? Wait, I forgot, she's allergic to those. Maybe just some candy? Or some carnival tickets; she loves that stuff. Or maybe.."</p><p>Peter could only chuckle to himself as he swallowed his bite from his sandwich. "Ned, dude, don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll appreciate whatever you do for her, man." </p><p>Ned took a breath before responding. "Thanks man; oh, I almost forgot to tell you that she finally told me about what happened with her and M.J. that night." </p><p>Peter froze his raised hand holding his sandwich before lowering it back down again, narrowing his gaze at his friend. "Yeah?" </p><p>"Dude, she said you took you those guys like they were nothing!" </p><p>Of course, OF COURSE his best friend would be excited about the role he played in saving their girlfriends' lives instead of thinking about the fact that he they needed to be saved at all. Knowing Ned, he probably made sure Betty knew he was glad she okay, but only in the midst of asking a thousand questions about how Peter had taken them down. He could picture it, right now, in his head. Wow. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An elevator door opened and Norman Osborn stepped out into the underground lab. He walked right up to the scientist down there. "Well, doctor, what's the latest?"</p><p>"The most recent trials have shown improvements, but were still unsuccessful," the man said, looking Norman in the eyes as he shared this. </p><p>"And the test subjects themselves?" Norman asked. </p><p>"Don't worry, Mr. Osborn, all of the subjects sent to us so far have been disposed of and taken away for further study. </p><p>"Good, we can't have any loose ends. Time is now of the essence Dr. Warren. When do you believe we will have another test?" </p><p>"I have already scheduled for another one in 3 days. I should have the final modifications of the serum ready by then."</p><p>"See that you do," Norman said, then he turned around and walked back to the elevator. Once he reached the surface, he walked outside of what appeared to be a condemned building and got in his car. He went straight back to Oscorp, speaking to no one while going to his office. When he entered, his phone rang. Taking it out of his pocket, he saw who it was and immediately answered it. </p><p>"You've done good work, my friend." </p><p>"Thank you," came the voice of the chief of police. Some kind of ruffling noise then came over the phone before the man spoke again, this time in a Russian accent, "and thank you for taking care of my brother." </p><p>"You were very confident that Sergei would lose," Norman said. </p><p>"Oh yes; I've studied this 'Spider-Man' myself, and I knew that brother of mine could never defeat him."</p><p>"No love lost there I see," Norman remarked, sitting down at his desk. </p><p>"When one turns their back on their family, there are always consequences," the mysterious man said bitterly. "Now, is our deal complete, or do you have a new assignment for me?" </p><p>"I need you to stay exactly where you are, or should I say, who you are, for the time being."</p><p>"Very well. I trust I will see new payment coming?" </p><p>"Oh don't worry, my dear Chameleon, you shall be handsomely rewarded for your services. More instructions will come with it as well." </p><p>"Very well; good evening, Mr. Osborn," said the Chameleon before hanging up. </p><p>Norman then went to work on his laptop before he caught a glance of a shadow cascading into his office from his window. He turned around in his chair to see none other than Spider-Man, perched right there, staring at him. He looked as if he was waiting to be invited in. Norman, knowing full well his security would catch any attempt to do him harm, hit a button on his desk, and the window lowered. Spider-Man jumped right in, flipping side ways until he was just a few feet in front of Norman's desk. </p><p>"I take it you are here to make some accusations against me based on something Mr. Kravinoff told you," Norman said calmly. </p><p>No response. </p><p>"Well, I don't know what he told you, but I know that none of it can be backed up."</p><p>No response. </p><p>Norman was getting a little irritated at his guests lack of word use, so he kept going: "You know, I might have use for you. A man with your talents is quite rare to come by. Perhaps you would be interested in something?" Norman took out a case and set in on the desk, opening it so that the wall crawler could see the enormous amount of money that was inside. </p><p>"It's quite simple really, Spider-Man. You can keep doing almost all of what you usually do, but you must do EXACTLY as I say, WHENEVER I say it. It could be protecting an Oscorp shipment; it could be making sure that anyone who is attempting to steal company secrets gets what is coming to them. You could do all of these while still being the hero. In fact, I'm willing to give you all the free press you can imagine. What do you say?"</p><p>Still nothing. Norman was quite irritated, but made sure not to show it on his face or in his body language in any way. He simply stared back, waiting for a response. </p><p>Finally, Spider-Man walked up to him and gently put his hand on top of the case, closing it. "There is not enough money in all the world that could make me work for you. I'll be watching you, Osborn." With that, Spider-Man jumped out the window, firing a web and swinging off into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, this one was a lot more involved than the first one. A lot looked different for this one in terms of planning and how it all translated. Hope you liked it! </p><p>Here's the plan for the immediate future: next will be a one shot, somewhere between 3,000-5,000 words most likely, that will give our characters a happy little break from everything. It will take place after this one but before the next one. It will also feature a lot of Peter and M.J. interaction. Then will come the 3rd story not long after that, and let me tell you all...that one is going to be a WILD ride!</p><p>Thank you to those who have left comments and kudos in support of this and Endangered Species both; I really appreciate it! </p><p>As always, please feel free to leave input in the comments section, what worked, what didn't, the whole works. Your feedback is always appreciated! </p><p>Stay safe and have a blessed day! </p><p>John 3:16</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! This chapter was really short, but the other chapters will be longer. Can't wait to share more of this with you guys! Thank you to everyone who read and supported the previous story to this. I hope you like this one was well. Also, more tags will be added as we go.  </p><p>My prayers will all of you during this time! Stay safe and healthy. </p><p>Psalm 23</p></blockquote></div></div>
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